Alan Wake 2 Director Sam Lake Admitted He Would Have Thought Twice Before Making Himself The Face of Max Payne Had He Known the Franchise Would Become So Huge

It’s a pretty well-known story about how Sam Lake, Remedy Entertainment’s primary creative powerhouse, first entered the world of game development. Back then, little could the man have ever predicted that his own face would become one of the most iconic in video game history.

That’s what happened with Max Payne’s instant success back in 2001. Overnight, Payne, and by extension Lake, became the face of gritty, neo-noir storytelling in gaming. Fascinatingly, though, Lake has admitted in recent times that if he knew just how big his game would become, he may have stopped to think twice before lending his handsome mug to the character.

Sam Lake May Have Taken a Pause Before Using His Face for Max Payne

As Remedy continues to truck along, despite some of the struggles faced by Alan Wake 2’s poor sales, it’s perhaps a good time to reflect on Lake’s early days, back when he was both the protagonist and creator of his stories.

Back when Max Payne was still a concept circling Lake and his team’s brains, the team members compared his appearance in a photo to renowned action heroes like Clint Eastwood and Bruce Willis.

That photo is what would become a part of the main character’s visual foundation. But in hindsight, Lake admits that had he known the immense popularity the character would achieve, he might have hesitated, mentioning in an interview that:

“If I had known how big the whole thing would become, would I have done it? I don’t know, but it would certainly have given me pause.”

It’s an undoubtedly interesting piece of reflection on Lake’s part, but it’s difficult to agree with considering how synonymous the man is with the character—to the point of recreating him in Remedy’s latest title—and how people rarely associate Timothy Gibbs and even James McCaffrey with the him.’—and how people rarely associate Timothy Gibbs and even James McCaffrey with him.

Regardless, this small bit of introspection is a great reminder of how even the smallest of decisions in game development can have a lasting impact.

With Alan Wake 2’s next DLC most likely around the corner, though, Remedy Entertainment will likely continue to savor what it has achieved with the game.

Max Payne May Not Have Become as Popular Without Sam Lake’s Face.

Given the strong association fans have formed between Lake and Payne, with its distinctive side-smirk and steely eyes, it’s hard to imagine, even today, anyone else stepping into the role for something like the Max Payne 1 and 2 remakes. This stands especially true after witnessing his work as Alex Casey in Alan Wake 2.

Plus, if a new TV show or film adaptation of Payne were ever to be made, much like those other projects in collaboration with Annapurna, then the man, no matter how old he may be, would have to step in to show people how it’s done.

Coming back to those remakes, even though they are reportedly now entering full production, the question of whether Lake will once again lend his likeness to the character still requires a concrete answer.

Regardless, the impact of his original contribution will remain the same, and it’s certainly a challenging thought exercise to consider how different things might have been if someone else had been chosen as the face of Max Payne.

With all that said, what are your thoughts on this? Do you think Payne’s character would have still been as iconic if Sam Lake wasn’t his face? Let us know in the comments below!