In 2023, what many people once thought was impossible happened: the classic N64 shooter GoldenEye 007 was re-released on modern platforms. Hitting both Nintendo Switch (via Switch Online) and Xbox One, it marked the first time since the game’s original release, some 26 years earlier, that it received a port that wasn’t a remake. Sadly, both versions are marred with problems and are less than ideal as a representation of why the original game was so good, but they weren’t the first attempt to bring Rare’s iconic shooter to newer platforms.
We already knew about the cancelled Xbox 360 remaster, which was eventually leaked online in 2021, but did you know that acclaimed remaster masters Nightdive Studios had actually pitched MGM/Eon on delivering a remaster? While I had some insider knowledge thanks to conversations with studio head Stephen Kick (he did eventually reveal these plans to the public), he recently spoke about the project with VGC and elaborated on why the project fell through all those years ago. Not surprisingly enough, Nintendo is responsible.
When asked about what happened to Nightdive’s proposal for GoldenEye 007, Kick said, “That was a real heartbreak, just because we had put in a lot of effort into pitching that. We had a dream team all set up, and we got by the MGM/Eon side of things. That took a year. And then it was: ‘Ok, we’re ready to go.’ ‘Well, did you guys get the rights from Nintendo?’ ‘Wait a minute, we thought you had that.’ And then Nintendo was like, ‘yeah, no third party’s ever going to touch any Nintendo stuff, ever.’”
Now, that quote is potentially missing some context, but it becomes especially strange considering that Nightdive Studios had previously touched up some N64 games in the past. As CEO Larry Kuperman brings up, “Oddly enough, we were the very first company to have an N64 game on the Nintendo Switch with Turok.” Sadly, that didn’t lead to a partnership with Nintendo, and it seems that the timing just wasn’t right for Nightdive.
In the years since, we’ve seen not only Nintendo remaster some of its own titles, but indie devs get a crack at tackling Nintendo IP. Cadence of Hyrule is probably the most high-profile of these collaborations, with developer Brace Yourself Games making an all but official Zelda installment. While you’d think that would mean Nintendo was all for getting GoldenEye 007 back out into the public, some of it could have also been down to MGM/Eon not being able to convince Nintendo to do so until 2023.
At any rate, we were deprived of what likely would have been the definitive GoldenEye 007 experience thanks to Nintendo.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
