Max Payne 3
Encyclopedia
Max Payne 3 is an upcoming third-person shooter
video game in the Max Payne
franchise published by Rockstar Games
for Microsoft Windows
, PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360
. Development is led by Rockstar Vancouver
in collaboration with the New England, London
and Toronto
studios. This is the first game in the series not to be developed by Finnish game developer Remedy Entertainment
and not being written by series creator Sam Lake
. The lead writer of Max Payne 3 is Dan Houser
, who was also the writer of most games in the Grand Theft Auto series
, and of Red Dead Redemption.
, it is their intention on starting a new chapter of Max Payne
's life with the game. "This is Max as we've never seen him before, a few years older, more world-weary and cynical than ever." Since the last game, the press release states Max has left New York City
behind and has "drifted from bad to worse." The press release then goes on to say Max has been double-crossed in this new city and he is searching for the truth and a way out. The game will be set in São Paulo
, Brazil
, where Payne is working in the private security sector for a wealthy local family, set 8 years after the events of the second game.
franchises in order to "benefit from having more development time." In June 2010, the game was again pushed back to 2011. On December 21, it was not present on the 2011-2012 calendar year, and was pushed back again. The game was still in development and not canceled or indefinitely halted when Rockstar released two new screenshots for the game. On September 8, 2011 Rockstar announced a March 2012 release date for the game, with a trailer released on September 14.
Rockstar initially claimed that series staple James McCaffrey
would not return to the role of Max Payne, instead opting for an older actor. However, in Edge
it was confirmed that James McCaffrey will not only return to voice Max Payne, but will also return in a full acting role through motion capture.
A debut trailer was released on September 14, 2011. Responding to criticism regarding the decision to abandon the New York/Night theme of the previous games in the series, the writer for the series, Sam Lake
, responded by commenting that the game would "maintain its dark and gritty origins" and that fans of the series would be "in for a surprise."
In an interview with Gamasutra in November 2011, Dan Houser
of Rockstar Games said that despite what the general public might think, Rockstar likes to "spend a bit of time" at the end of projects before deciding what to do next. "Basically we have been meaning to start [Max Payne 3] for a while, but we have limited bandwidth and limited studios, and more games to make than we've started. So suddenly it was a good slot," Houser said, explaining why it took eight years to follow up Max Payne 2. "Also, contrary to a lot of people, we like to take a little bit of time at the end of a game before starting a sequel, so we can wait for the excitement or disappointment and everything else of the experience to shake down and really see what we should do in the next game."
On November 22, 2011, Rockstar announced that customers who pre-order Max Payne 3 at any US GameStop location or online, will get early access to the Cemetery Multiplayer Map. Customers will gain access to the map at the game’s launch, weeks before it will be made available for download to the public.
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
video game in the Max Payne
Max Payne (series)
Max Payne is a video game series developed by Remedy Entertainment and recently, Rockstar Vancouver. The series is named after its protagonist, Max Payne, a New York City police officer...
franchise published by Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games is a major video game developer and publisher based in New York City, owned by Take-Two Interactive following its purchase of UK video game publisher BMG Interactive. The brand is mostly known for Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, L.A...
for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. Development is led by Rockstar Vancouver
Rockstar Vancouver
Rockstar Vancouver is a video game studio located in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. Rockstar Vancouver released Bully, a controversial title exclusively for the PlayStation 2 on October 17, 2006...
in collaboration with the New England, London
Rockstar London
Rockstar London is an English video game developer, and in 2005 was the second newest studio to join the Rockstar Games family. Notable productions include Manhunt 2 for the PlayStation 2....
and Toronto
Rockstar Toronto
Rockstar Toronto is an in-house game development team for Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive, located in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, a town located approximately thirty-five kilometres west of Toronto...
studios. This is the first game in the series not to be developed by Finnish game developer Remedy Entertainment
Remedy Entertainment
Remedy Entertainment is a Finnish computer game developer founded in 1995 and based in Espoo, Finland. The company is best known for its Max Payne and Alan Wake series of video games.-History:...
and not being written by series creator Sam Lake
Sam Lake
Sami Järvi , better known by his artist name Sam Lake , is a Finnish writer who is mostly known for his work on the popular Max Payne video game series. Lake is good friends with Petri Järvilehto, a founding member of Remedy Entertainment, the company behind Max Payne...
. The lead writer of Max Payne 3 is Dan Houser
Dan Houser
Dan Houser is an English video game producer and vice president of creativity for Rockstar Games...
, who was also the writer of most games in the Grand Theft Auto series
Grand Theft Auto (series)
Grand Theft Auto is a multi-award-winning British video game series created in the United Kingdom by Dave Jones, then later by brothers Dan Houser and Sam Houser, and game designer Zachary Clarke. It is primarily developed by Edinburgh based Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games...
, and of Red Dead Redemption.
Plot
According to Rockstar's Sam HouserSam Houser
Sam Houser is an English video game producer and developer. He is the co-founder and president of Rockstar Games and one of the creative driving forces behind the games in the Grand Theft Auto-franchise, being director and producer since the third game...
, it is their intention on starting a new chapter of Max Payne
Max Payne (character)
Max Payne is a fictional character from the video game series of the same name, originally created by Remedy Entertainment and 3D Realms. Max is a New York City police officer turned vigilante, notable for his complex use of metaphors and wordplay to describe the world around him within his inner...
's life with the game. "This is Max as we've never seen him before, a few years older, more world-weary and cynical than ever." Since the last game, the press release states Max has left New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
behind and has "drifted from bad to worse." The press release then goes on to say Max has been double-crossed in this new city and he is searching for the truth and a way out. The game will be set in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, where Payne is working in the private security sector for a wealthy local family, set 8 years after the events of the second game.
Development
The game was originally scheduled for release in late 2009. However, it was pushed back to 2010 alongside several other Take-Two InteractiveTake-Two Interactive
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a major American publisher, developer, and distributor of video games and video game peripherals. Take-Two wholly owns 2K Games and Rockstar Games. The company's headquarters are in New York City, with international headquarters in Windsor, United Kingdom...
franchises in order to "benefit from having more development time." In June 2010, the game was again pushed back to 2011. On December 21, it was not present on the 2011-2012 calendar year, and was pushed back again. The game was still in development and not canceled or indefinitely halted when Rockstar released two new screenshots for the game. On September 8, 2011 Rockstar announced a March 2012 release date for the game, with a trailer released on September 14.
Rockstar initially claimed that series staple James McCaffrey
James McCaffrey
James G. McCaffrey is an American actor.-Biography:McCaffrey was born in Northern Ireland and raised in New York. His first role was for sills models, as a mentally challenged teen, in Bill II: on His Own, the Bill Sackter story. He also played the lead in the first and last seasons of the series...
would not return to the role of Max Payne, instead opting for an older actor. However, in Edge
Edge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
it was confirmed that James McCaffrey will not only return to voice Max Payne, but will also return in a full acting role through motion capture.
A debut trailer was released on September 14, 2011. Responding to criticism regarding the decision to abandon the New York/Night theme of the previous games in the series, the writer for the series, Sam Lake
Sam Lake
Sami Järvi , better known by his artist name Sam Lake , is a Finnish writer who is mostly known for his work on the popular Max Payne video game series. Lake is good friends with Petri Järvilehto, a founding member of Remedy Entertainment, the company behind Max Payne...
, responded by commenting that the game would "maintain its dark and gritty origins" and that fans of the series would be "in for a surprise."
In an interview with Gamasutra in November 2011, Dan Houser
Dan Houser
Dan Houser is an English video game producer and vice president of creativity for Rockstar Games...
of Rockstar Games said that despite what the general public might think, Rockstar likes to "spend a bit of time" at the end of projects before deciding what to do next. "Basically we have been meaning to start [Max Payne 3] for a while, but we have limited bandwidth and limited studios, and more games to make than we've started. So suddenly it was a good slot," Houser said, explaining why it took eight years to follow up Max Payne 2. "Also, contrary to a lot of people, we like to take a little bit of time at the end of a game before starting a sequel, so we can wait for the excitement or disappointment and everything else of the experience to shake down and really see what we should do in the next game."
Marketing and release
On November 21, 2011, Rockstar announced a Special Edition of Max Payne 3, which includes exclusive multiplayer content. The pack, which is available for pre-order until January 15, 2012, priced at £99.99. The Special Edition includes a 10" tall Collectible Max Payne Statue, series of game-inspired Original Still Life Art Prints, Bullet Keychain (copper and brass-plated iron bullet-shaped) and Max Payne 3 Official Soundtrack. Exclusive multiplayer content consists of Classic Multiplayer Character Pack and Disorderly Conduct Multiplayer Weapons Pack.On November 22, 2011, Rockstar announced that customers who pre-order Max Payne 3 at any US GameStop location or online, will get early access to the Cemetery Multiplayer Map. Customers will gain access to the map at the game’s launch, weeks before it will be made available for download to the public.