Developers Assure Max Payne 3 “Not Canceled”

The story of Max Payne is a grim one indeed. No, no, not the actual character (although we’re sure any man whose face is stuck in that kind of perma-grimace can’t be all sunshine and butterflies) — instead, we’re talking about the ever-growing yarn trailing behind Max Payne 3′s development cycle. Originally scheduled to launch late in 2009, the game’s since endured delayafter delay, and all the while gamers have scarcely seen hide nor hair of its development progress.

Most damning of all, however, is the fact that Take-Two’s most recent release schedule – which even listed games scheduled for calendar year 2012 – didn’t contain Max Payne 3 in any form. Developer Rockstar Games, however, quickly claimed that rumors of Max Payne’s death have been greatly exaggerated.

“We’re still working hard on Max, and we’ll have more news in the coming months,” a company rep told Kotaku.

Last time we saw Max Payne 3, it was set to discard the franchise’s old noir trappings in favor of a thick coat of grit. Picking up 12 years after Max Payne 2 left off, the game touted a “more world-weary and cynical” version of Max working private security for a wealthy family in Brazil. More often than not, however, publicity blackouts like the one Max Payne 3′s been under since shortly after it was announced are signs of a major overhaul, so who knows what kind of story it’s aiming to tell at this point?

Here’s hoping Rockstar sees fit to tell us sooner rather than later. We’re all for gratuitous slow-mo, but this is getting a little ridiculous.