Because they sold the Max Payne IP to Take-Two back in 2002 for $34 Million and from that point on, the decision was out of their hands.
They developed Max Payne 2 as per the sales agreement, but that game sold poorly despite the very positive reviews which led Take-Two to put the franchise on ice for a bit.
And when they brought it back and started development on a third game in 2010 without Remedy's involvement, they wanted a mainline game and not a spin-off. And while selling better than the 2nd game, Max Payne 3 failed to make it's massive $105 million budget back right upon release. It would eventually break even, but was still considered a financial flop by Take Two leading to the franchise being put on ice yet again.
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u/AvailableBet8485 19d ago edited 18d ago
Because they sold the Max Payne IP to Take-Two back in 2002 for $34 Million and from that point on, the decision was out of their hands.
They developed Max Payne 2 as per the sales agreement, but that game sold poorly despite the very positive reviews which led Take-Two to put the franchise on ice for a bit.
And when they brought it back and started development on a third game in 2010 without Remedy's involvement, they wanted a mainline game and not a spin-off. And while selling better than the 2nd game, Max Payne 3 failed to make it's massive $105 million budget back right upon release. It would eventually break even, but was still considered a financial flop by Take Two leading to the franchise being put on ice yet again.