Remedy has announced that the studio is working on a remake of both Max Payne 1 and Max Payne 2. The games will be developed in partnership with Rockstar Games which owns the original IP for the series.
The Max Payne remakes will be packaged into one game. However, Remedy says that it won’t release anytime soon. The development has just been greenlit at Rockstar and only just entered the early pre-production phase.
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This is big news for the Max Payne series which has been missing in action since the last game, Max Payne 3 released back in 2012. Keep in mind that Remedy was the studio behind the original two games and Rockstar simply owns the IP and published the titles. Rockstar only developed Max Payne 3. So in a way, this project is a sort of “return to roots”.
Remedy says the studio approached Rockstar about the remake and they were thrilled with the idea. Rockstar is also funding the project and the budget set aside is along the lines of any other typical Remedy AAA game. Remedy will also be using the Northlight Engine to remake the game. This was the same engine the studio used to develop Control.
At the moment, the Max Payne remakes are set to launch on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. The games will follow the original storyline and gameplay as much as possible. This means players can expect the traditional ultra-melodramatic noir thriller tone packed with the iconic slo-mo gameplay action.
Remedy is very busy at the moment. The studio recently announced a full sequel to Alan Wake and is also working on a Control multiplayer spin-off. Just don’t get your hopes up to see Max Payne in the next three years because the project literally hasn’t even started yet.
Under the development agreement signed today, Remedy will develop the games as a single title for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S using its proprietary Northlight game engine. The game’s development budget will be financed by Rockstar Games, the size of which will be in line with a typical Remedy AAA-game production. Under the agreement, Remedy has a royalty opportunity after Rockstar Games has recouped its development, marketing, and other costs for distributing and publishing the game.
Source: Remedy