Max Payne fans want Sam Lake's smushed-up face back in the remake

Max Payne
(Image credit: Remedy Entertainment)

Max Payne is being remade, and Remedy fans really want Sam Lake's face back on the titular character.

Just yesterday, Remedy Entertainment and Rockstar Games announced remakes of Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne were in active development in a joint venture. It didn't take long for fans of the iconic shooter series to speak up about Remedy director Sam Lake's face reappearing in the remake of the first game.

Over on the gaming subreddit post that announced the remakes, for example, dozens of fans speak up about hoping that Lake's face makes a grand return in the remake of the original Max Payne. Additionally, the Max Payne-dedicated subreddit has a slew of comments from fans equally hopeful of Lake's face receiving a HD upgrade.

If you weren't already aware, Max Payne's scrunched up face in the original game is actually modelled after Remedy developer Sam Lake, who wrote the original 2001 game. Over 20 years later, Lake has now ascended to the top of Remedy Entertainment, and has since been in charge of a number of bangers, including Alan Wake and Control.

Still, Lake's ascendance hasn't stopped fans from wanting him to reprise one of his weirder appearances. Lake's strange face was only used for the in-game model of Max Payne for the first game in the series, though, as it was then remodelled for Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne. Perhaps Remedy could include the option of Lake's face for the titular character model in the Max Payne remake, or just give the thing a fresh coat of paint in a HD upgrade.

All the while we're wondering who'll be the face of the new Max Payne in the remakes?

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.