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Remedy has announced they will be releasing Max Payne 1&2 Remaster in 2026. Unfortunately, this might not necessarily be good news.
Remedy CEO Markus Mäki shared this message to investors:
For the reporting period, the main sources of revenue were development fees from Max Payne 1 & 2 remaster and Control 2 as well as sales revenue from FBC:Firebreak related subscription service agreements, Alan Wake 2 royalties and Control related game sales.
(…) Majority of our effort goes into working with our established franchises – Control and Alan Wake (…) We’re focused on the Max Payne 1&2 remaster with Rockstar Games.
What’s Happening At Remedy?
Remedy did not make this announcement from a position of strength. Last October 12, the company issued a profit warning to investors. Their latest title, live service game FBC: Firebreak, posted weak sales four months after launch.
They missed sales targets so badly that Remedy said it would have a substantial impact. They expected operating profit to now be in the negative, down year-on-year.
Last week, Remedy’s CEO Tero Virtala stepped down after nine years. That was the reason we referred to Remedy’s chairman Markus Mäki as their current CEO.
What Does This Mean For Max Payne 1&2 Remaster?
We can parse what Remedy had previously said to figure out where this project is now and where it could land. They have confirmed that as of September 2025, the game has been in full production for at least 15 months.
Remedy estimated that Max Payne 1&2 Remaster will need 200 employees and one to two years of development. It will then need an additional 6 months of beta testing.
If Remedy stays on schedule, they could release the game at the end of 2026.
Will These Remasters Be OK?
Remedy got the contract for these remasters thanks to a mutual agreement with Rockstar Games. We don’t know the finer details of this contract.
But we know that Rockstar are working to finish and release Grand Theft Auto 6 by May 2026. That means they’re not in a position to help Remedy complete this project at least until the middle of next year.
And they may not necessarily do that anyway, if that just disrupts Remedy’s work. It’s also unlikely that Remedy will have Max Payne 1&2 Remaster ready around the same time Grand Theft Auto 6 is.
It’s possible that Remedy will now be trimming away some unnecessary but cool features and ideas. But if it serves to ultimately give gamers a complete and satisfactory product, that’s for the best.
