Max Payne 3 Release Date Pushed To May

Today Rockstar Games announced perhaps the final delay to third-person shooter Max Payne 3. They pushed back the game from March to May but this time they provided exact release dates.

Max Payne 3 is now scheduled to hit the Xbox 360 and PS3 on May 15th in North America and on May 18th everywhere else. The North American PC release is scheduled for the 29th, while the international date is June 1st.

"We do not take changes to our release schedule lightly, and this short delay will ensure that Max Payne 3 delivers the highest quality, groundbreaking entertainment experience that is expected from our Company,” said Strauss Zelnick, Chairman and CEO of Take-Two. “Max Payne 3 promises to be one of our most exciting releases to date, and we are confident that consumers will once again be amazed by Rockstar’s ability to take interactive entertainment to another level."

The delay moves MP3 from the fourth quarter of Take-Two's 2012 fiscal year to the first quarter of their 2013 fiscal year. The result is that they expect a net loss for 2012. They estimate it will reduce their net revenue during that year by $210-230 million. This gives you an idea of how big of a splash they expect the game to have when it ultimately hits stores.

In MP3, former New York Detective Max Payne has decided to leave the States. He becomes private security for a Brazilian industrialist Rodrigo Branco and his family. This new job isn't as quiet as he'd hoped, though. Rodrigo's wife is kidnapped by criminals and Payne is drawn into a war between Sao Paulo's various factions.

MP3's release dates are almost identical to L.A. Noire and Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar's major releases for 2011 and 2010 respectively. Both games had strong launches in that window so perhaps MP3 will have the same good fortune.