Is Max Payne Just Too Old?

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So the big news coming from Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter is that Max Payne 3 didn't do half as well as L.A. Noire in the same span of time. Is it a sign...?

That doesn't mean MP3 is a sales failure, considering that it was #2 on the May NPD charts and it was reported that Take-Two had shipped 3 million copies. But it does imply that after eight years, and given the ridiculous speed at which this industry advances, the name "Max Payne" might've fallen on too many deaf ears.

Back in September of last year, we wondered if the franchise's popularity had declined. Too many people between a certain age just aren't familiar with the series in question, despite its widespread popularity and high critical acclaim earned between eight and ten years in the past. In this day and age, unless you can keep a franchise name relevant by releasing new titles every few years or so, you're in danger of obsolescence. The competition is too stiff and too many new (or relatively new) franchises are dominating sales lists.

So the question is, did Rockstar simply wait too long to release Max Payne 3? We get the feeling that had it released back in 2006 or 2007, it would've been a huge seller; having a brand new IP like L.A. Noire - as great as it was - being so far ahead in terms of sales could be an indication of Max Payne's age. Let's not forget that MP3 didn't exactly have tough competition; only Diablo III and maybe Ghost Recon: Future Soldier really made any waves in May. But then again, maybe Max Payne just wasn't big enough to begin with...you could release GTAV in 2015 and it'd still hit huge, right? I mean, it's Grand Theft Auto.

Related Game(s): Max Payne 3

Tags: max payne 3, max payne sequel, la noire, rockstar

6/15/2012 12:08:03 PM Ben Dutka

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