Long before the first-person shooter genre saw games like Halo, Call of Duty, and Counter-Strike, there was GoldenEye 007. The FPS genre existed well before Rare and Nintendo released GoldenEye 007, but the genre's founding members like Doom were often confined to PCs. Rare's James Bond adaptation provided evidence that FPS games could thrive on consoles. Lots of other developers gave the genre a chance after GoldenEye 007, and considering this hugely important legacy it's no surprise that GoldenEye 007 has lots of fans to this day. There's a huge market for a re-release or remaster of the game.

Unfortunately, bringing GoldenEye 007 back to modern consoles is difficult for multiple reasons. Rare was a close ally of Nintendo at the time of GoldenEye's release, but it is now a Microsoft subsidiary. What's more, the usage of the James Bond IP means another edition of GoldenEye would require Rare to strike licensing deals with both the owners of James Bond and the producers of Bond movies. Although recent events have offered a glimmer of hope that GoldenEye 007 could appear again, the game seems difficult to revive.

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Obstacles in GoldenEye 007's Way

goldeneye 007 box art

Licensing the James Bond property would require untangling a lot of threads. For starters, Rare would need the permission of James Bond's IP owners, but that's not enough to access the story of GoldenEye. Since this movie was the first in the franchise not based on an Ian Fleming novel, Rare would need to approach Eon Productions and MGM for broader access to the film rights. What's more, GoldenEye 007 uses the likenesses of actors like Pierce Brosnan, who made his debut as Bond in the GoldenEye movie, meaning Rare might need the actors' permission to adapt it again.

Even if Rare were to secure permissions from all of these sources to remake or remaster the game, there's delicate questions about the game's original release to answer. The original GoldenEye 007 was developed by Rare and published by Nintendo, but today Rare works under Microsoft. On one hand, Nintendo probably wouldn't want a game it published to become an Xbox exclusive, but on the other hand Microsoft might be weary about setting Rare loose to remaster a game for Nintendo exclusively again. An Xbox Live Arcade version of GoldenEye 007 got cancelled because Microsoft and Nintendo couldn't reach an agreement before, and disagreements could block the game again.

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Potential Hope for GoldenEye 007

goldeneye 007 n64 ak47 first person gameplay

In spite of this difficult road for GoldenEye 007, there's a glimmer of hope that it may reappear. A Nintendo partner recently requested a rating change for GoldenEye 007, which was originally banned in Germany for violence, and the request was accepted. Nintendo probably wouldn't take that action without plans to use the game. This request comes in the context of a new N64 expansion to Nintendo Switch Online's library, which includes tons of GoldenEye's well-loved peers - including Rare games like Banjo-Kazooie. The natural conclusion is that, in spite of GoldenEye 007's licensing complications, Nintendo may want the game on NSO.

For all fans know, Nintendo and Microsoft may have already reached a deal behind closed doors, with Rare earning some amount of NSO income for collaborating on a GoldenEye 007 release. GoldenEye 007 more than deserves an appearance on NSO alongside games like Super Mario 64 that also revolutionized their genres. Getting the rights to release another edition of GoldenEye 007 might be difficult, but it's worth the effort. There's a lot of fans out there who would welcome Rare and Nintendo's FPS with open arms.

GoldenEye 007 released for the Nintendo 64 in 1997.

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