Max Payne 3 delayed to May

Max Payne was ready to take a trip to Brazil this March in Max Payne 3, but those plans have been dashed. Rockstar Games' parent company Take-Two Interactive today announced that Max Payne 3 has been delayed from March to May 2012.

More specifically, Max Payne 3 will arrive for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on May 15 in North America, with a European premiere scheduled for May 18. A PC version of the game will follow in North America on May 29, and in Europe on June 1.

Because of the delay, Take-Two said it's expecting to report a net loss for its fiscal year ending March 31, 2012. The company said this amounts to a dip in net revenue of $210-$230 million. Take-Two will announce third-quarter financial results on February 2, 2012.

As for the reason behind Max Payne 3's delay, Take-Two chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick said the game was pushed to its new release window to "ensure that Max Payne 3 delivers the highest quality."

Take-Two also reiterated that its fiscal year 2013 will include BioShock: Infinite, Borderlands 2, Spec Ops: The Line, XCOM, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and additional, unspecified titles to be announced later.

Max Payne 3 is in the works at Rockstar Games' Vancouver studio, which took over from Finnish developer Remedy (Alan Wake). The game will catch up with the now-former cop, who has spent the time since Max Payne 2 running from his troubled past. That has led him to Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he works as a private bodyguard for a wealthy family.

Rockstar is also incorporating multiplayer into the series for the first time with Max Payne 3. The publisher has said it will feature "traditional" multiplayer game modes with full-featured support for character progression, clans, and loadout options.

In addition to the standard iteration of Max Payne 3, Rockstar Games will offer a $100 version of the shooter. This top-tier SKU includes a 10-inch-tall statue of Max, a bullet keychain, art prints, the game's soundtrack, in-game weapons, and "classic" multiplayer characters from previous entries in the franchise.

For more on Max Payne 3, check out GameSpot's interview with Rockstar Games' vice president of product development, Jeronimo Barrera.