How many copies did Max Payne sell? — 2024 statistics

The Max Payne sales have reached 11.5 million copies.

(Source: VG Chartz, Video Gamer)

• The original Max Payne sold 4 million copies.
• Max Payne 3 sales reached 4 million copies.
• Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne sold 513,000 copies on Steam.

Right from the start, it’s evident that while Max Payne 3 sales were solid, they didn’t quite match up to other blockbuster titles released around the same time. Max Payne has always catered to a niche audience with its unique setting and themes, which sets it apart from mainstream games. Even though the series had a steady performance, one can’t help but ponder if Take-Two could have taken steps to boost its appeal further.

The Max Payne series made $46 million on Steam.

(Source: VG Insights)

• Max Payne made $6.8 million in gross revenue on Steam.
• Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne made $3.6 million in gross revenue on Steam.
• Max Payne 3 made 35.6 million in gross revenue on Steam.

This is some information for the gross revenue generated by the Max Payne series on Steam exclusively since there are no other sources to definitely confirm accurate earnings across all platforms. $46 million is not that much to make on a fairly popular IP on a single platform, considering that two of the names sold over 4 million copies, so realistically we should be looking at at least double the amount of money earned.

Max Payne 3 sales were 440K units in its debut month

(Source: ShackNews)

• Max Payne 3 sold 440K units in its debut month, which was seen as underperformance compared to Rockstar’s previous title, LA Noire, that sold nearly 900K units in its debut month.
• The sales figures led to the game being labeled as a “flop” by some analysts.
• The underwhelming sales were also reflected in the unsold inventory, with millions of unsold copies reported

Max Payne 3 had a peak of 5,582 active players.

(Sources: VG Insights)

• Max Payne 3 had a peak of 5,582 active players.
• Max Payne 3 received 85.8% positive reviews.
• Max Payne 3 avg play time is 29.1 hours

Max Payne 3, a notable title in the gaming industry, has demonstrated its popularity with a significant peak of 5,582 active players. The game has also been well-received by the community, garnering an impressive 85.8% in positive reviews. This acclaim is further evidenced by the commitment of its player base, as the average playtime for the game stands at a remarkable 29.1 hours, showcasing the immersive and engaging nature of the game.

The Max Payne brand was told to Take-Two for $34 million in 2002.

(Source: Game Developer)

• The deal was made for $10 million in cash and 969,932 shares of stock which were valued at $24 million.
• This deal was made when Max Payne had sold 2.75 million copies worldwide.
• The deal contained the Max Payne brand and all intellectual property rights, essentially giving Take-Two the freedom to use anything from the Max Payne series for whatever purpose it wished.
• This was one of the first times a highly successful gaming IP transferred ownership.

This line of stats serves just to show us when Max Payne’s ownership was transferred to Take-Two by Remedy and for exactly how much money. Today, you will most likely find that IP acquisitions are made for much more money than $34 million, and that is because this is a different time with different capabilities for games and their developers. This acquisition was also a historical moment for the gaming industry, so it is worth mentioning.

Take-Two lost $110 million because of Max Payne 3 in 2012.

(Source: Games Industry)

• In the fiscal year 2013, Take-Two saw its net losses swell from $8.6 million to $110.8 million.
• Their total sales declined from $334.4 million to $226.1 million.
• At that time, Max Payne 3 had sold only 3 million copies.
• Year-over-year increases in digital sales for Take-Two increased by 33% around this time.
• Max Payne wasn’t the only title to blame since Spec Ops: The Line also had a poor performance.

This was a major point in the history of Max Payne where the developers had to seriously ask themselves if producing more games was even worthwhile, considering the failure of Max Payne 3 to meet expectations. The game moved nowhere after this and there is no telling what went on with the series internally, later.

Max Payne has killed over 2000 people across all of the games.

(Source: Kotaku)

• Across 11 years, Max Payne killed a total of 2241 people.
• In Max Payne, you kill 652 people.
• In Max Payne 2, you kill 373 people.
• Max Payne 3 takes a step up and has you kill 1216 people.

And for the final line of stats, we found some interesting information regarding exactly how many people you kill across all three Max Payne games, and… it’s a lot. Video game protagonists kill people all the time, but Max Payne is teetering on the edge of concerning. While Max’s kill count is pretty high, it just goes to show how violent the games are and how the violence is turned up to 11 for Max Payne 3.

To sum up

Alright, that’s all for the Max Payne series. As you can see, the series is quite popular for a niche of games in the gaming community, but it hasn’t had much recent news surrounding it except for the remaster announcement, which no one was particularly expecting. Max Payne embodies everything you would expect out of a blockbuster Hollywood crime movie, and that is shown in the series’ sales and general performance on the gaming market. While we wait for any additional news surrounding the remakes of the first two games to arise, feel free to check back here for updates regarding this excellent series!