10 Video Games You Didn't Realise Secretly Bombed

3. Max Payne 2: The Fall Of Max Payne

Much like Bayonetta, the Max Payne series enjoyed a far longer innings than it probably should have.

Though the groundbreaking 2001 original was a strong commercial success, the sequel, Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, was a baffling bust despite strong reviews and no major genre competition in its midst.

As a result, publisher Rockstar Games' parent company Take-Two Interactive had to re-forecast their finances for the following year, and the Max Payne franchise seemed to effectively be dead.

Surprisingly, though, a third game did finally release almost an entire decade later in 2012, and despite strong acclaim and seemingly solid sales, its colossal $105 million budget ultimately prevented it from becoming a commercial success.

Less than two months after the game was released, Rockstar shuttered the Vancouver studio that worked on the game, though mercifully offered all affected employees jobs at other Rockstar studios.

As much as fans would love to see a fourth Max Payne game, why would Rockstar dare risk three flop sequels in a row?