It’s almost difficult to keep track of all the games Remedy is either currently developing or involved with, as they seem to be pumping out new games in almost all of their major franchises right now. One franchise they hadn’t been able to touch, though, was the Max Payne series, which due to a complicated parade of license transfers was currently in the hands of Max Payne 3 developers Rockstar Games. That gap has now seemingly been bridged, as Remedy has announced that they will be remaking the first two games in the series in association with Rockstar.
There’s not a ton of details beyond the announcement and an associated press release, but Remedy has already outlined that the games will be coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X, and PC using Remedy’s own Northlight engine. That engine, which Remedy has dubbed a storytelling game engine, has powered all of their games since the Xbox-exclusive Quantum Break. The only other detail given about the remakes is that they are currently in the pre-production concept phase, so it is likely this deal was only just inked.
The Max Payne franchise is a cult classic series that altogether has sold about 7.5 million copies, but is beloved by millions. It’s the pioneer of bullet-time in video games, but it’s the hardboiled renegade cop Max Payne and the neo-noir detective story surrounding him that captures most fan attention. The sequel, Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, followed a few years alter to similar acclaim. The games still get referenced, although obliquely, in modern Remedy games like Control.
Remedy is also currently developing new games in the Control universe including a follow-up to the original and a sequel to Alan Wake.
