Remedy: Max Payne 1 and 2 remakes
There's even more good news for retro enthusiasts: Following the announcement of a new Monkey Island game, Remedy has now announced that they are working with Rockstar on remakes of Max Payne 1 and 2.
One or more action fans should sit up and pay notice now: Remedy, the developer of Max Payne 1 and 2, has announced that remakes of the two games are being worked on in collaboration with Rockstar Games. According to Remedy, the news broke last night, causing its own investor side to collapse in the meanwhile.
Remedy and Rockstar have a long history of working together. It's been over 20 years since the film noir shooter's eponymous hero Max Payne set out to avenge the murder of his wife and children.
The original edition, which was confiscated immediately by the BPjM in July 2001 (due to Bullet Time and vigilante justice), was only removed from the list of material harmful to young people in 2012.
The successor was published in October 2003 and received an 18 rating. Remedy created both games using their in-house Max FX graphics engine.
And both games included Rockstar. So, at Max Payne 1, one took over sections of the console development as well as distribution. Rockstar also built the console version of Max Payne 2, and they also served as publishers for all versions.
This resulted in Rockstar acquiring the Remedy name and releasing Max Payne 3 under their own label in 2012. So, in a sense, the chalice is returning, and Remedy is relying on its Northlight engine, which has been constantly enhanced since Alan Wake and Control.
The remakes will be available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X. Rockstar Games has taken over the whole development budget, which should approximate "the scope of a typical AAA game production by Remedy.
" This means that there will be no "minor" remastering. Remedy will also earn a royalty "when Rockstar Games recoups its development, marketing, and other costs of distributing and selling the game," according to the agreement. The concept development phase of the project is presently underway.
We recall that Remedy only published the Alan Wake remaster in October of last year. Only three months had elapsed since the introduction of the remaster effort when Remedy released Alan Wake 2.
The survival horror game will be released in 2023. Observers in the industry believe that a similar strategy may be taken with Max Payne. In other words, Remedy is anticipated to create a Max Payne 4 game.
"We were thrilled when our longstanding friends at Remedy approached us to rebuild the classic Max Payne titles," stated Rockstar Games founder Sam Houser. "We've been tremendous admirers of the Remedy team's work over the years, and we can't wait to play these new versions."
"Max Payne has always held a particular place in the hearts of all Remedy employees, and we know millions of fans across the world feel the same way," stated Remedy CEO Tero Virtala.
"We're thrilled to be working with our friends at Rockstar Games once more to bring fans new ways to enjoy the story, action, and atmosphere of the original Max Payne games."
