GoldenEye 007's role in the history of video games cannot be understated. Many would describe GoldenEye 007 as the pinnacle of local multiplayer shooters due to its fast-paced 4-player splitscreen action. That nostalgia has long driven requests for GoldenEye 007 to be updated for a modern online gaming audience if only to see how it stands up in a new era. That reality may be close to becoming true if a surprise achievement from a developer at Rare is any indication.
A GoldenEye 007 remaster from Xbox studio Rare has reportedly been in the works for some time. It's more than a rumor, as there's been firm evidence of its existence discovered. That evidence includes official Xbox Achievements for the game, despite it not having been announced yet. That's how GoldenEye 007 fans were able to track the achievements via data scraping websites, see an achievement had been accomplished, and tie it to a Rare developer.
The Achievement in question is titled "Merciless" and is earned by killing an unarmed player, rewarding 20 Achievement points. It was earned by the player BIGsheep, a name also used on Twitter by Rare lead engineer James Thomas. BIGsheep has been making progress on multiple achievements for GoldenEye 007 for several months, though this is the first he's completed.
Some believe that the timing of this achievement being earned is intentional. Microsoft & Bethesda's Games Showcase 2022 airs on June 12 and will be packed with game announcements. It's possible that GoldenEye 007 is announced or even debuts during the show. Fans are hoping that BIGsheep's achievement is Rare's way of winking at the GoldenEye 007 audience as a heads-up that news is coming soon. Of course, it could just be a coincidence, too.
As for what the GoldenEye 007 remaster is, some believe it to be a resurrected project intended to be released for the Xbox 360. The remaster updated the game's visuals and added features, though it allowed players to swap back to the Nintendo 64 visuals of the original game, too. For whatever reason, the project was canceled, but perhaps Rare is taking the project and modernizing it once more.
Again, there's no official word that the GoldenEye 007 remaster is in development, let alone that it's going to be announced or released anytime soon. There are undoubtedly many fans of the original Nintendo 64 game that would love it to be true, though. The Microsoft & Bethesda Games Showcase airs on June 12, for those curious to see if the rumor is true.
GoldenEye 007 is available on the N64, with a remaster rumored to be in development.