Alan Wake 2 is the last phase of full production

In the comment section of the new statement to investors, Virtala reveals that both Control 2 and Max Payne 1&2 Remake have moved to the proof-of-concept stage. In particular, the development team has worked on the world building and gameplay mechanics of Control 2, while the studio expects to grow the size of the team behind the Max Payne remake gradually towards the end of the year. It hopes that the remake will be at a “high quality to today’s consoles and PCs.”

Remedy will also continue development on Codename Condor, a co-operative multiplayer game set in the world of Control, as well as Codename Vanguard, a F2P co-operative game that has gained more momentum with new key hires. Codename Condor is a part of Remedy’s plans to “expand the Control brand.”

Meanwhile, in line with our prior report, Alan Wake 2 will be releasing this year. Remedy is focusing its efforts on its upcoming launch, with the game starting its “last major phase of full production.”

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The “previously released” games in Take-Two’s pipeline

One of those eight “new iterations of previously released titles” will be Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition on mobile, currently due to be released at some point before the end of March 2023. There are also the remakes of Max Payne and Max Payne 2 that will be sold as a bundle for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, although we’re not sure if these count as one or two new iterations. Take-Two Interactive did make it clear that this number of remakes, remasters, and ports doesn’t include sequels, so the rest are seemingly a mystery at the moment. However, they did briefly mention they are looking to bring select mobile titles to console and/or PC, which could mean the appearance of games like Farmville, Words With Friends, and Merge Dragons on PS4 or PS5.

With five or six “new iterations of previously released titles” still to be identified, fans are hoping that GTA 4 and Red Dead Redemption remasters are two of those games. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to be the case. While the latest report said the disappointing performance of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition on console and PC had put paid to those remasters for now, if they were to enter development then it won’t happen until after the eventual release of GTA 6. Meanwhile, rumors of a Bully remake continue to circulate despite no confirmation from Rockstar or Take-Two.

In other news, today’s The Division 2 update kicks off the Street Activation Apparel Event. Elsewhere, Take-Two has promised GTA 6 will set creative benchmarks for all entertainment

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What we know so far about the Max Payne and Max Payne 2 remakes

According to an investors press release, Remedy and Rockstar have entered into a partnership where Rockstar will handle the funding while Remedy will handle the game’s development. Rockstar founder Sam Houser is excited to see what these two companies can do with these upcoming remakes:

We were thrilled when our long-time friends at Remedy approached us about remaking the original Max Payne games. We are massive fans of the work the Remedy team has created over the years and we can’t wait to play these new versions.

Both remakes will be made using Remedy Entertainment’s in-house Northlight engine which saw its use for both Control and Quantum Break.

It is still unclear to what extent Remedy will be revamping the Max Payne games, though the choice of words makes it seem as though it is not simply a graphical remastering but a gameplay overhaul of some sort.

Moreover, Remedy CEO Tero Virtala said in the press release that he wants to “bring the story, action and atmosphere of the original Max Payne games back to players in new ways.” Given that the size of the budget would seem to be on par with other AAA titles, this project is leaning in the direction of a full remake for both Max Payne titles.

In other news, former Call of Duty developers seem to be creating a studio which they want to be acquired by Sony, and the director for Days Gone has joined Crystal Dynamics for an undisclosed project.

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Will we ever get Bully 2?

Rumors surrounding the development of Bully 2 have been going on for years with several claims of the game being in development before being canceled multiple times. The latest claimed the game was still in development despite Rockstar’s announcement of the next game in the Grand Theft Auto franchise. This was after the game was supposed to be shown at The Game Awards but was pulled from the lineup at the last minute for unknown reasons. Zelnick’s statement in the company’s earnings call, as transcribed by Seeking Alpha, has only served to fuel those rumors, after he said the future pipeline for their studios included sequels to many beloved franchises:

We have the strongest and most diverse pipeline in our company’s history, comprised of new intellectual properties, as well as sequels to many of our beloved franchises. We look forward to delivering many of these titles in the coming months and beyond.

Of course, there are some sequels that we already know about. There’s the aforementioned Grand Theft Auto game (assumed to be called GTA VI) and Kerbal Space Program 2. While not technically a sequel, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands could count within that statement, as could the upcoming WWE 2K22. The statement was also made the day before the release of OlliOlli World. Regardless, there is always the possibility that there are those that are yet to be announced. Interestingly, Zelnick also mentioned new intellectual properties, implying multiple new IPs in development. So far we only know about Marvel Midnight Suns, so there are definitely unannounced projects here too.

In other news, a second PS5 system software beta will start tomorrow alongside another PS4 beta. Both consoles will get to try open parties while the former will also get to try voice commands. Elsewhere, Call of Duty: Vanguard and Warzone Pacific Season 2 will introduce chemical warfare and armored vehicles on February 14.

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The developer will be closing the PS3 online services for GTA Online because they will be concentrating on the launch of Grand Theft Auto V and GTA Online on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Services for the game on PlayStation 4 will be unaffected. On September 16, 2021, players will no longer be able to purchase Shark Cards on PS3. The PS3 online servers, including website stat tracking via the Rockstar Games Social Club, will then be closed on December 16, 2021. From this point, players will be able to play the campaign but will not be able to play any of the online modes.

Once the PS3 version is closed, players’ progress on this version of the game will be lost forever. There is no way of transferring progress or character profiles to the PS4 or upcoming PS5 version of the game. Any unused Shark Cards on PS3 will also be lost as these are platform specific and their value can’t be transferred to another platform.

GTA Online is not the only game to be affected by server closures. Max Payne 3 and L.A. Noire will also have their online servers closed and lose all website stat tracking via the Rockstar Games Social Club. Both games will see their servers closed on September 16, 2021. Like GTA V, players will still be able to access the campaign and other offline modes after this date.

Both Max Payne 3 and Grand Theft Auto V have online trophies that will be affected by the server closure. If you haven’t earned these trophies by the time the servers are taken offline, this will also make the Platinum trophies unobtainable for you.

[Source: Rockstar Games (1, 2)]

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Jones served as a writer, producer, and in-game DJ for several Grand Theft Auto projects. He additionally has credits on Bully, Max Payne, Midnight Club, and Red Dead Redemption franchises. Jones’ name won’t appear on future Rockstar Games titles, however. The developer’s LinkedIn profile, originally spotted by YouTuber GTAMen, notes that he left the company this past April. For now, Jones is hard at work on multiple projects, including show development for Disney and Netflix. He’s also serving as a consultant for an unnamed gaming company and collaborating with a Comedy Central writer/director.

Jones’ LinkedIn profile further details that he began working for Rockstar in April 2001. As of now, there’s no official word on why he chose to leave his position after nearly two decades.

Regardless of the reasoning, Jones’ departure came on the heels of a transitionary period for the Grand Theft Auto developer. Co-founder Dan Houser left in March of this year, following a lengthy break beginning in the early part of 2019. The finer details concerning his departure aren’t publicly known, either.

Rockstar’s parent company Take-Two Interactive has expressed confidence in the studio’s future post-Houser’s exit. In an investor call weeks ahead of Houser’s departure, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said Rockstar’s “never been stronger.” At present, all anyone can do is take his word for it.

[Source: GTAMen, LinkedIn via IGN]

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During a recent Q&A session on ResetEra, Remedy’s Senior Game Designer, Sergey Mohov, expressed his desire to one day see the team explore an RPG project. After listing a few of his favorite experiences in the genre, Mohov shared his belief that Remedy would be “really good” at developing such a game. Indeed, the basic tenets of any Remedy title, especially where world-building and characters are concerned, align to make the perfect set up for an RPG.

When asked which genre he’d like to delve into as a game designer, Mohov responded as follows,

I would personally pick RPG. First of all, I’m a huge RPG fan. I grew up playing Baldur’s Gate, Planescape Torment, Arcanum, Fallout 2, Neverwinter Nights, and bring them up in design meetings regularly. But I also think that Remedy would be really good at it. Think about it: we’re all about building detailed, weird worlds, populating them with compelling characters, and then telling a story through gameplay. It seems like an excellent starting point for an RPG game.

To some degree, Remedy’s Control peppers in a few RPG-like elements. The supernatural adventure allows players to experiment with leveling, ability points, as well as character and weapon mods. However, similar to the likes of a Borderlands, these features alone do not an RPG make. Still, it would be interesting to see Remedy venture into that territory. As Mohov noted, the team could be very good at delivering on a promising experience.

Control is in stores now for the PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One. The title’s first paid DLC expansion, The Foundation, will go on sale early next year on March 26, 2020.

[Source: ResetEra via Wccftech]

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StayAdobe recently shared insight into the creative life of former Rockstar Games developer, Angith Jayarajan. In a blurb on StayAdobe’s Instagram page, Jayarajan is quoted as saying that during his brief time at Rockstar India, he worked on more than one title. “After [earning a Masters in animation and making] two animated short films, I worked at Rockstar Games. I worked on Red Dead Redemption 2 and a couple of games I can’t name yet,” Jayarajan said.

This could mean any number of things, or it could mean nothing. PlayStation 3 exclusive Agent, for instance, was known to have been worked on, but has remained under lock and key for many years. Still, Jayarajan’s revelation, if it can be called that, is rather interesting. Rockstar Games certainly has a large enough team of studios worldwide to pull off multiple projects at once.

Apart from the obvious Grand Theft Auto rumors, Bully 2 speculation manages to pop up every so often, as well. The most recent rumor about the long-awaited sequel alleges Rockstar has plans for a cross-gen release in late 2020, which pairs well now that we officially know the launch window for the PS5. A fourth Max Payne entry and a L.A. Noire follow-up could also serve as possibilities, or even a completely new IP from the publisher. Of course, this is all assuming Rockstar Games does indeed have more than one project in development at present.

[Source: StayAdobe on Instagram via SegmentNext]

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Though fans may assume the franchise’s long rest and Remedy’s absence was in response to less than stellar sales, Lake has deemed these assumptions incorrect. In an interview with ScreenRant, he disclosed the following:

After the first game came out, the IP rights were sold to Take-Two and Rockstar, and part of that deal was an agreement that we would create the sequel. So, you know, with that understanding, it was a nice situation. We have a lot of passion towards Max Payne. It was wonderful to create that, and to take certain ideas from the first one and… Making a sequel is great fun in many ways. But at the same time, that was all with the understanding that this will be the final Max Payne game for us. And you could kind of go through that emotional process while working on it, saying goodbye. So, from a creator’s perspective, that was a really nice way to go.

As for Rockstar’s work on the third entry, Lake shared nothing short of praise.

Rockstar guys, Dan Houser and the others, they reached out to us at a certain point in development (of Max Payne 3), and asked if we would be interested to play it through and give notes, which was really awesome and really nice from them. And it, to me, I mean, it most certainly looked like a Rockstar game. And it was their take on this idea, which was wonderful, I felt. It was much better in my mind to go that way than to try to maybe imitate too much what we would have done.

Rockstar’s spin on Max Payne’s story remains divisive among fans. Instead of a gritty nighttime New York setting, Max Payne 3 sent the protagonist to São Paulo, Brazil, years after Max Payne 2’s conclusion. Gone were the hard-boiled elements of the earlier entries, as the third iteration favored a vibrancy that, in gaming, almost feels unique to the Rockstar crime-drama.

Akin to Max Payne 2, Max Payne 3’s sales were nothing to write home about. Thus, we’re left wondering if Max’s  journey through the night will continue once more. The statement’s absence during the last entry’s end credits indicates we’ve seen the last of the character. But who knows what Rockstar and Take-Two have up their sleeves?

Thankfully, another adventure from Remedy is on the horizon. Control launches in 2019.

[Source: ScreenRant]

The post Remedy Never Had Plans to Develop a Sequel to Max Payne 2 appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

However, they only seem to be remembered for the mainstays. This means many people have missed out on the rest of their works, older games that laid the foundation for these newer titles, and those great projects that just went under the radar. Those gems outside of their main series are what I want to speak about today, in hopes that someone will pick them back up and see the genius of the company’s secondary library.

The Best Rockstar Games, Ranked

How would you rank Rockstar’s secondary library for the PlayStation? Let us know in the comments below!

Essential Reading:

• These are the Best Movies and TV Shows to Get Your Red Dead Redemption 2 Fix
• Red Dead Redemption 2 Horse Balls – Why Frozen Testicles Are Important 
• Red Dead Redemption 2 – Take the Second Left After the Field of Rocks

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