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3D Realms' owner and partner Scott Miller has written a lengthy entry in his game development blog about his company's successful marketing campaign for the Max Payne gaming franchise.

Entitled Max Payne: The Making of a Franchise, the entry looks at the myriad of elements required to make a particular game a hit. Topics covered include naming the game, creating simple game design, the appropriate way to handle PR, and even how to get people's attention by properly handling controversy:

Max Payne had a little, though it didn't get as much press as we thought it might. Still, controversy that fits the context of the game is good for stirring up news. Duke Nukem, for example, had only one or two levels with strippers (and no nudity), and yet it generated endless controversy when the game was released in 1996. The bottom-line is that if you can build a little controversy into your game, do it.

Max Payne, the stylish third-person shooter, was originally developed by Remedy Entertainment, and was produced and distributed by 3D Realms. The game's sequel, Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne was released for PC in the middle of October, with Xbox and PS2 versions on the way. As of yet, there has been no official word from game publishers Macsoft, who brought us the original Max Payne, on whether or not the sequel might be making it to our platform. Anyone wanting to get their hands on the original should head over to the IMG Store, where the game is available for $19.95 USD. Follow the links below for more.

Scott Miller Blog: The Making of Max Payne

Max Payne (add to watch list)

Max Payne 2 (add to watch list)

MacSoft (add to watch list)

Remedy Entertainment (add to watch list)

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