Upcoming action game Max Payne 3 is set in Brazil. Rockstar, the folks making Max Payne 3, are not a Brazilian studio, so that meant one thing: research.
The game's art director, Rob Nelson, tells Edge magazine that the team put as much research into Sao Paulo as the original Max Payne developer did with New York. Rockstar sent members of the team to Brazil for a couple weeks of photography, filming and soaking up the vibe.
"We saw a lot of diverse environments that we could stick [Max Payne] in," said Nelson. "It's a huge city and there's a major disparity between rich and poor. Learning about that, finding out how massive the place is, has been fascinating."
And because there are such striking differences, apparently Rockstar wasn't able to reuse game assets. "Every stage is going to be different from the last one. Brazil is a fascinating place to set a game - there are plenty of unique aspects to the setting that we'll reveal over time. We've got a lot to work with."
Max Payne 3 isn't the only video game to tap Brazil as a setting. First-person-shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 likewise used the country as an in-game setting.
Max Payne 3: Brazil is 'a fascinating setting', says Rockstar [CVG]