Max Payne 1 & 2 Remake: Why Remedy Won't Be Sharing Updates Anytime Soon

Why It Matters

The delay limits the remakes’ market visibility and postpones potential revenue, highlighting how a publisher’s flagship can eclipse secondary projects.

Key Takeaways

• Max Payne remakes entered full production, per Remedy report.
• Communications controlled exclusively by Rockstar Games.
• Rockstar's focus currently on GTA VI launch.
• No public updates expected until after GTA VI release.
• Fans may experience extended wait despite development progress.

Pulse Analysis

When Remedy Entertainment and Rockstar Games announced in 2022 that the cult‑classic shooters Max Payne 1 and Max Payne 2 would receive full‑scale remakes, the gaming community reacted with enthusiasm. Remakes have become a reliable revenue stream, allowing publishers to monetize nostalgia while updating graphics, physics, and narrative pacing for modern hardware. The partnership promised a blend of Remedy’s narrative flair and Rockstar’s production muscle, positioning the titles to compete with recent high‑profile revivals such as Resident Evil 2 and 3. Early teasers hinted at ray‑traced lighting, rebuilt combat mechanics, and expanded story beats, raising expectations across both fan bases.

Remedy’s most recent fiscal filing finally lifted the veil, confirming the remakes are in full production but that all external communication is dictated by Rockstar. The interim CEO, Markus Mäki, emphasized that Rockstar’s marketing apparatus is entirely occupied with Grand Theft Auto VI, the studio’s flagship launch slated for later this year. As a result, press releases, gameplay demos, and community updates for Max Payne remain on hold, despite the development team reportedly making steady progress. This communication bottleneck illustrates how a publisher’s flagship can eclipse secondary projects, limiting visibility and potentially delaying revenue streams tied to the remakes.

For investors and industry watchers, the delay underscores the strategic risk of tying multiple IPs to a single publisher’s calendar. While the Max Payne titles could eventually tap into the lucrative retro‑remake market, their launch window may be pushed into 2027 or later, affecting projected cash flow and brand momentum. Developers may also need to negotiate greater autonomy for future collaborations to avoid similar silos. Once GTA VI’s post‑launch cycle stabilizes, Rockstar is likely to allocate marketing bandwidth to the Max Payne projects, potentially reigniting fan excitement and opening a new revenue channel for both studios.

Max Payne 1 & 2 Remake: Why Remedy Won't Be Sharing Updates Anytime Soon

By Tay Garcia · Published Feb 12, 2026, 8:26 PM EST

When it was announced back in 2022 that Max Payne 1 and Max Payne 2 were finally getting the remake treatment, giving those classic neo‑noir shooters a modern tweak, I was literally the happiest person alive – along with every other Max Payne fan, of course.

The idea of Remedy Entertainment and Rockstar Games partnering up again for another round sounds like a dream come true. However, we haven’t had a single concrete update on the project since then, which has left many players feeling confused about the actual state of development.

For two years, we were basically standing in the dark. Or at least, that was the case until now! That’s because Remedy recently released its fiscal report for the past year and finally provided some much‑needed updates regarding the Max Payne 1 & 2 remake. And I know, it might not be a full gameplay reveal, but it’s the first sign of life we’ve seen in a long time.

Under Rockstar’s Control: The Reason Behind Remedy’s Silence

For starters, according to the official document from Remedy, the project is currently in full production. In development terms, this means the game is being actively built from the ground up.

While this is a somewhat timid update, it is also a pleasant surprise given that we weren’t even sure if the core production phase had officially kicked off yet. But as encouraging as that sounds, what really caught everyone’s attention happened during the Q&A session following the report.

At the 31:50 mark of the video presentation, Markus Mäki, Remedy’s interim CEO, dropped a surprising declaration that explains exactly why Remedy has been so silent about the remakes:

“Unfortunately, the Max Payne communications are all driven by Rockstar,” Mäki stated. “So we are working on it hard, so that’s all I can say.”

While we always knew Rockstar Games was the publisher, many fans assumed Remedy would have a bit more autonomy in showing off their hard work. Apparently, that isn’t the case. This creates a significant hurdle for the game’s visibility, as it is no secret that Rockstar is currently (and quite understandably) completely focused on Grand Theft Auto VI.

Right now, every single marketing resource and ounce of attention at Rockstar is pivoted toward GTA VI. Therefore, it is highly unlikely we will hear a single peep about Max Payne anytime soon – or at least not this year.

Until GTA VI finally launches and the dust settles from that massive release, Max will likely have to stay in the shadows, even if the game is further along than we thought.