The popular Max Payne action games have almost always been revered for their blend of hardboiled crime drama and slow-motion, guns blazing shooting. When it came time for a fledgling Remedy Entertainment to pitch publisher and producer Scott Miller on their next game, a top-down version of Max Payne was only one of three possible ways the company might have gone. Miller and Remedy’s other two options included a 3D racing game to follow up on their debut Death Rally, and a conceptual real-time strategy game set in space a la Homeworld.
Having learned a lesson about character-driven franchises with Duke Nukem Forever, Scott Miller was excited to turn Max Payne into something that he thought could last for a decade. Miller joined this month’s episode of IGN Unfiltered to talk about behind-the-scenes details of Max Payne and more, including the changes Remedy made that had fans scratching their heads, but have become normalized in the modern era.
Source: IGN.com Max Payne Was Originally Planned to Have Multiplayer