Max Payne 1 and 2 Remake Now Ready for Production, Remedy Says

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Remedy has issued an update on all its in-development games while stressing it’s too early to comment on sales of the recently released Alan Wake 2.

First up is an update on the Max Payne 1 and 2 remakes, which Remedy said in a financial report had “progressed into the production readiness stage”.

“We have gained clarity on the style and scope of the game, and we have an exceptionally well-organized team working on it. With these accomplishments, we are excited about the project and its future success,” the studio added.

Remedy is working with Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption company Rockstar under a new publishing agreement to remake the first two Max Payne games for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. Remedy is handling development while Rockstar is financing the project. The Max Payne remakes will also be developed on Remedy’s Northlight game engine, the same engine used to develop Control and Alan Wake 2.

The original Max Payne games were also a result of a partnership between Remedy and Rockstar, with Remedy handling development and Rockstar Games publishing. Rockstar also handled the development of Max Payne 3.

Control 2, meanwhile, continues in the proof-of-concept stage. “The plans for this sequel are ambitious, and we have seen good progress both in the designs and in the game build,” Remedy explained. “We will continue at this stage for the next few quarters. We focus on proving the identified key elements before moving to the next stage and scaling up the team.”

Condor is a four-player co-op spin-off of Control, to be co-published with 505 Games. This has progressed from the proof-of-concept stage to the production readiness stage, Remedy said. “We have acquired valuable insights into developing service-based games and are now in a better position to create a game players can engage with for years.”

And finally, Codename Vanguard. Remedy is “defining” the next stages of the project with its publisher, Tencent. “At the same time the project is aiming towards completing the proof-of-concept stage by the end of the year.” Vanguard is a free-to-play, co-operative PvE shooter that combines Remedy’s narrative expertise and action gameplay into an immersive multiplayer experience.

Remedy boss CEO Tero Virtala said all four projects, none of which have release windows, will benefit from staff moving on from Alan Wake 2. As for the hit survival horror sequel, Virtala said that due to the fact it only launched last week, “it is too early to draw conclusions on the game’s commercial success.”

“It is clear, however, that fans and critics have appreciated it, giving the game a strong basis for good long-term sales,” he added.

In our 9/10 review, IGN said: “Alan Wake 2 is a superb survival horror sequel that makes the cult-classic original seem like little more than a rough first draft by comparison.”

Players can also check out IGN’s Alan Wake 2 Guide and essential tips and tricks to get the most out of playing the long-awaited survival horror sequel.

Meanwhile, work on Alan Wake 2 continues with updates, new modes, and two expansions due out in 2024.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.