Max Payne
Genre(s)	Third-person shooter
Developer(s)	Remedy Entertainment(2001–2003; 2022–present) Rockstar Studios(2012)
Publisher(s)	Gathering of Developers(2001, PC) Rockstar Games
Writer(s)	Sam Lake(1–2) Dan Houser(3) Michael Unsworth(3) Rupert Humphries(3)
Composer(s)	Kärtsy Hatakka(1–2) Kimmo Kajasto(1–2) Perttu Kivilaakso(2) Health(3)
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows PlayStation 2 PlayStation 3 PlayStation 5 Xbox Xbox 360 Xbox One Xbox Series X/S Mac OS Game Boy Advance Android iOS
First release	Max Payne July 24, 2001
Latest release	Max Payne 3 May 15, 2012

Max Payne is aneo-noirthird-person shootervideo game series developed byRemedy Entertainment (Max Payne andMax Payne 2) andRockstar Studios (Max Payne 3). The series is named after its protagonist,Max Payne, aNew York City police detective turnedvigilante after his family was murdered by drug addicts. The first two installments were written bySam Lake, whileMax Payne 3 was primarily written byRockstar Games'Dan Houser.

The first game in the series,Max Payne, was released forWindows in 2001 and forPlayStation 2,Xbox, andApple Macintosh in 2002; a different version of the game was released for theGame Boy Advance in 2003. A sequel, titledMax Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne was released for PlayStation 2, Windows, and Xbox in 2003. In 2008, a movie adaptation, loosely based on the original game, entitledMax Payne, was released, starringMark Wahlberg andMila Kunis in the roles of Max Payne andMona Sax, respectively.Max Payne 3 was developed byRockstar Studios and released forPlayStation 3, Windows, andXbox 360 in 2012.

In November 2021,Microsoft announced that in celebration of 20 years ofXbox, they would be adding over 70 more games to theirbackwards compatibility program. Headlining these games was theMax Payne trilogy, making the games available to play onXbox One andXbox Series X/S^[1]

The franchise is notable for its use of "bullet time" in action sequences, as well as being positively received by critics.^[2][3] As of 2011, theMax Payne franchise has sold over 7.5 million units.^[4] The film rendition received negative reviews but was commercially successful.^[5][6]

In April 2022, Remedy announced thatremakes ofMax Payne andMax Payne 2 are being developed in collaboration withRockstar Games. The two games will be released as a single title.^[7]

RenegadeDEA agent and formerNYPD officer Max Payne attempts to hunt down the ones responsible for murdering his wife and child, as well as framing him for the murder of his NYPD partner, Alex Balder. As the story unfolds, he gains a number of "allies", including Vladimir Lem (a suave, old-fashioned Russian mobster) and Mona Sax (a vigilante who is out to avenge the death of her twin sister) and uncovers a major conspiracy involving the trafficking of a narcotic calledV, or Valkyr—after themythological figures in Norse mythology—which is somehow connected to the death of Max's family.

Two years after the first game, Max Payne has rejoined the NYPD and has been cleared of the charges for his killing spree thanks to his connection to Senator Alfred Woden, the leader of a secret society called the Inner Circle. During a routine murder investigation, Max finds himself face-to-face with the fugitive Mona Sax, who reluctantly joins him in his investigation. As the two work together to uncover the truth, they begin to develop feelings for each other, and come across another major conspiracy, which this time involves Vladimir Lem, theItalian Mob, and the Inner Circle.

Nine years after the second game, Max Payne has left New York and is working on a private security detail inSão Paulo,Brazil. When the wife of his employer is kidnapped by a local street gang, Max and his old friend Raul Passos join forces in an attempt to rescue her, igniting a war that will lead them to confront a larger conspiracy.^[18]

Remedy, with funding from Rockstar who holds the rights to the series, announced plans to remakeMax Payne andMax Payne 2 for PC,PlayStation 5, andXbox Series X/S in April 2022. At the time of the announcement, the remakes were at an early development state, and no planned release date was announced.^[19] It was confirmed that the two games will be released as a single title.^[20]

Early in 2003, it was confirmed that20th Century Fox had bought the rights to adapt the game to film.^[21] TheMax Payne movie went into production in 2008 and was directed byJohn Moore. The movie was produced by Collision Entertainment and Firm Films inToronto, Ontario, Canada.^[22]Mark Wahlberg andMila Kunis^[23] play the roles of Max Payne and Mona Sax respectively.^[24]Beau Bridges,Chris O'Donnell,Nelly Furtado andLudacris have roles as B.B. Hensley, Jason Colvin, Christa Balder and Jim Bravura respectively.^[25] On July 10, 2008, a teaser trailer was released, featuring an instrumental version of theMarilyn Manson song, "If I Was Your Vampire".^[26] The film was released to theaters in the U.S. on October 17, 2008, with a PG-13 rating.^[27] While it was ranked first on its opening weekend, grossing US$18 million at the box office,^[28] the film received mainly negative reviews, having a 16% rating atRotten Tomatoes, based on 129 reviews.^[29] In June 2022, 20th Century Studios announced that a Max Payne reboot movie is in development.^[30]

Note: A gray cell indicates that the character does not appear in that medium.

Wikiquote has quotations related toMax Payne.

• Official website
• Max Payne franchises atMobyGames
• The History of Max Payne,The Escapist, May 12, 2012
• Celebrate 20 years of Xbox with over 70 new Backward Compatible Games,Xbox Wire, November 15, 2021

• Max Payne
• Rockstar Games franchises
• Take-Two Interactive franchises
• Video game franchises
• Video game franchises introduced in 2001

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