KEY POINTS

  • Remedy will be working with Rockstar to produce the "Max Payne" remakes
  • Rockstar has also developed and published a "Max Payne" game in the past
  • Remedy will be the main developer of the reworks, while Rockstar will provide funding

The classic “Matrix”-esque action game “Max Payne” and its sequel are both slated to get remade soon following an announcement from their original developers.

Both “Max Payne” remakes were confirmed in a recent investors report from developer Remedy Entertainment. According to the report, the project will be made in tandem with Rockstar Games, the developers behind the massive “Grand Theft Auto” franchise and the third game in the “Max Payne” series.

Rockstar Games founder Sam Houser said they were pleased when Remedy Entertainment approached them to work on the remakes. Both Rockstar and Remedy have a friendly relationship with each other that started back when the first “Max Payne” games were first released.

According to Remedy, the remakes will be released as a single title for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S using their proprietary Northlight Engine, the same engine used for the company’s hit games “Control,” “Quantum Break” and the remake for “Alan Wake.”

Max Payne was one of the first games to use bullet-time mechanics in its gameplay
Max Payne was one of the first games to use bullet-time mechanics in its gameplay Remedy Entertainment

Remedy will still be the primary developer for the “Max Payne” remakes. Meanwhile, Rockstar Games will be providing the funding for the development process. The investor report said the remakes would “be in line with a typical Remedy AAA-game production.”

The “Max Payne” series started in 2001 with the release of the first game, which immediately made waves in the gaming community for its gritty, neo-noir setting, grimy themes and its implementation of “bullet-time,” which was popularized by the release of “The Matrix” in 1999.

The game places players in the shoes of the eponymous Max Payne, an ex-cop-turned-DEA agent whose wife and child got murdered by drug junkies. Payne then embarks on a quest for vengeance, only to get embroiled in a much larger conspiracy involving some of New York’s most powerful people.

“Max Payne” and its sequels received a very positive reception from critics and gamers alike. Many praised the series’ combat, its implementation of slow-motion gunfights and the overall atmosphere of the games.

The remakes are still in the concept development stage. However, players can expect a significant upgrade in the graphics department due to the transition to the modern Northernlight Engine.

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