One of Remedy Entertainment’s early successes, the Max Payne series has a very good reputation, and high review scores on every instalment. Nonetheless, poor sales almost ended the series after its second game, and despite the success of Rockstar Games’ Max Payne 3, the franchise hasn’t made a comeback since. Will fans ever see a Max Payne 4 or did the series come to an end in 2013?
Was Max Payne 3 the End of the Franchise?
The original Max Payne was developed by Remedy Entertainment and released all the way back in 2001. The game received highly positive reviews from most outlets and won several awards; it even won a BAFTA for Best PC Game of 2001. With such accolades and praise, it was inevitable that the game would get a sequel. ‘Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne’ launched two years later in 2003. While Max Payne 2 was also well-received by reviewers, it was something of a flop when it came to sales. The game’s sales were so poor, in fact, that Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar’s parent company, cited the game as the reason why their 2004 financial forecast was reduced; one of several reasons why the company lost around $110 million in 2014.
After the apparent failure of Max Payne 2, the franchise went dormant. Remedy Entertainment’s next game, Alan Wake, didn’t see release until 2010. Meanwhile, Rockstar Studios turned to Red Dead Revolver, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and other subsequent titles. Remedy Entertainment didn’t return to Max Payne, but Rockstar eventually did. Max Payne 3 is the sole work of Rockstar Studios and saw release in 2012. True to form for the series, Max Payne 3 received very positive reviews. Unlike its predecessor, however, it also sold extremely well.
Despite its success, the franchise has since returned to a state of dormancy. Almost seven years have passed since the release of Max Payne 3 with no news of a fourth title. Of course, there was a nine-year gap between Max Payne 2 and Max Payne 3, so a fourth instalment isn’t impossible. However, it’s certainly looking increasingly unlikely. The problem may lie in the game’s format; a format which has perhaps been somewhat outmoded by a changing video game industry.
Have Rockstar Studios and Remedy Entertainment Moved On?
After the disappointing sales of Max Payne 2, Remedy Entertainment lost the rights to the franchise. Since then, the studio has developed games like Alan Wake, Death Rally, and most recently, Quantum Break, in 2016. The studio’s next upcoming title is ‘Control,’ which is due to release later this year. In fact, the studio recently recruited Kyle Rowley, Cyberpunk 2077’s Associate Design Director, to return to the studio, presumably to work on Control. Certainly, it seems as though Remedy have moved on, and moreover, they no longer own the Max Payne IP. That IP is the property of Take-Two Interactive.
Rockstar Studios, meanwhile, have only released three games since Max Payne 3. However, two of those games were huge releases which have sent ripples throughout the entire video game industry; Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2. With the unprecedented success of GTA 5, Rockstar has pivoted to a different model of video game; a model which was skillfully replicated to some degree in Red Dead Redemption 2. While the latter certainly showed that Rockstar has no intention of abandoning good storytelling or single-player any time soon, the format of Max Payne seems somewhat small by comparison.
It’s currently unknown what Rockstar Games will be working on next. The studio hasn’t yet announced any games following Red Dead Redemption 2. Of course, Grand Theft Auto 6 is almost guaranteed to arrive at some stage, but it could still be years away. Similarly, a Red Dead Redemption 3 is also likely, but would be even further off. In the meanwhile, the studio simply may not see a need to work on smaller projects. With the arrival of the “games-as-a-service” model, games like GTA which previously were single title releases can now generate significant revenue over time. As such, it’s arguably more profitable for Rockstar to produce a big game like GTA 5 and then consistently produce post-launch content, rather than turning to other titles.
Where Does This Leave Max Payne?
The ending of Max Payne 3 did feel an appropriate end to the story for most fans. A Max Payne 4 wouldn’t necessarily have to continue the same story, of course, but it would have to find a way to justify continuing it. The biggest obstacle facing the potential development of Max Payne 4, however, may actually be its owners; Take-Two Interactive purchased the intellectual property rights to the franchise in its early days. Currently, Take-Two Interactive has several different developers under their control: 2K Marin, Firaxis Games, Hangar 13, Visual Concepts, Ghost Story Games, Rockstar Games and Social Point. Rockstar don’t seem to have any intention of continuing Max Payne, but could Take-Two task another studio with reviving the franchise?
The Studios Which Could Theoretically Revive Max Payne
2K Marin’s current status is unclear. The studio responsible for BioShock 2 was struck by major layoffs in 2013 and effectively shut down. However, 2K Games said in 2014 that the studio is still active and that future BioShock titles would be developed there. (Unfortunately, this seems increasingly doubtful with each passing year.) The next option, Firaxis Games, seems an unlikely fit for Max Payne; the studio is responsible for developing the Civilization and XCOM series, after all. Visual Concepts, too, is not the sort of studio to continue the franchise; the studio solely develops sports titles like NBA, NHL, and WWE. Finally, Social Point is a studio which specializes in free-to-play mobile titles.
That leaves Hangar 13 and Ghost Story Games. Here, there might be some possibility of resurrecting Max Payne. Ghost Story Games is the new name of Irrational Games, following its near collapse in 2014 and re-branding in 2017. It’s currently unknown what Ken Levine and his team are working on. However, given their history with SWAT and BioShock, Max Payne 4 could be a remote possibility (although fairly unlikely).
Instead, the best chance for the franchise’s future may lie with Hangar 13. This new studio’s sole released game is Mafia III; a game with more than a few thematic similarities with Max Payne, albeit with a different format. Although the likelihood of Max Payne rising from the grave of franchise dormancy seems sadly slim at this point, perhaps Take-Two will hand the IP to Hangar 13 at some point in the future to revive the franchise into the current gaming age?