Remedy Entertainment just announced that Max Payne 1 and 2 are getting a full remake courtesy of a new publishing agreement with the grandpappy of video game vehicular manslaughter, Rockstar Games.
This collaboration sees Remedy developing the remake for Max Payne 1 and for Max Payne 2, likely from the ground-up, using its in-house Northlight game engine–the vehicle that brought the awesomeness of Control into existence. On the other hand, Rockstar Games will be the one funding this project.
In case you’re unfamiliar, the Max Payne trilogy combined traditional crime noir tropes and comic book panel storytelling which served as a solid backdrop for action-packed gunfights and over-the-top stunts. While the third installment deviated from the first two by taking a more modern approach, it still managed to keep the game’s fast pace, brutal challenges, and Max’s perpetual edgelord persona. It’s also worth nothing that the series brought “bullet time” into mainstream gaming after The Matrix did the same for Hollywood.
As per Remedy, development will be “in line with a typical Remedy AAA-game production.” So, it’s safe to say that it won’t be coming out anytime soon. We’ll likely be seeing Alan Wake 2 before any of this, and that’s totally fine. If Control was but a taste of what Remedy could bring to the table at this point, we’re in good hands.
The Max Payne 1 and 2 remakes are slated to be exclusive to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.