Max Payne 1 & 2 Are Being Remade For PS5 & Series X|S

Remedy Entertainment, the original developers of the early 2000s classic Max Payne series have announced they are once again partnering up with Rockstar and remaking the first two games for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

The remake of Max Payne & Max Payne 2: The Fall Of Max Payne will be a singular title and is currently in the early stages of development. Remedy have confirmed they are treating the remake as they would with any of their AAA titles, which means that we won’t likely see Max Payne for some time. It will be developed using Remedy’s proprietary Northlight game engine, the same engine that Control and Quantum Break were developed on.

Max Payne is a third person shooter, originally released in 2001 on PC, PS2 and Xbox. It features a down-and-out cop who is investigating the brutal murder of his wife and child. As Max investigates the murder, he uncovers a sinister plot revolving around a new drug that hit the streets of New York. The neo-noir story telling and bullet-time action gained a lot of praise and was a massive success for both Remedy and Rockstar.

The follow up, Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne built on the successes of the first game when it released in 2003. Set two years after the events of the first game, it was again praised for the dark storytelling and weaving plot that sees Payne face off against a group of hitmen called ‘The Cleaners’. Everything from the graphics, to the bullet time sequences – a game mechanic which slowed time for players to figure out which enemies needed taking out – was overhauled and despite only being two years apart, the game looks greatly improved.

A third game in the series was developed solely by Rockstar and will be missing from the remake.

The statement from both Rockstar and Remedy can be found below:

“We were thrilled when our long-time friends at Remedy approached us about remaking the original Max Payne games.” “We are massive fans of the work the Remedy team has created over the years, and we can’t wait to play these new versions.”

Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games

Echoing the words, Tero Virtala added:

“Max Payne has always held a special place in the hearts of everyone at Remedy, and we know the millions of fans worldwide feel the same.” “We’re hugely excited to be working with our partners at Rockstar Games once again for the chance to bring the story, action and atmosphere of the original Max Payne games back to players in new ways.” 

Remedy CEO, Tero Virtala

The story, style and narrative of Max Payne is one we enjoy a lot. While the look of the game hasn’t aged well, there’s a lot of fond memories of the team playing the games. We’re excited to see what Remedy do with the remake.