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GoldenEye 007 returns on Nintendo Switch with online play

The Nintendo 64 classic will come to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service.

Ozzie Mejia

September 13, 2022 7:28 AM

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Tuesday's Nintendo Direct rolled on with a roadmap for the future of Nintendo 64 titles on the Switch. Eight games were revealed to be coming through the end of 2023, but Nintendo saved the biggest reveal for last. It's finally happening. GoldenEye 007 not only lives, but the original game will come to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service with online play in tow.

GoldenEye 007's return to a Nintendo platform was long thought to be an impossibility since original developer Rare Ltd. began an exclusive working relationship with Xbox. Add to that a series of licensing challenges and it's understandable why nobody thought this day would come. However, that all looks to be cleared up, partly thanks to a presumed deal that has also opened the door to a remaster built for Xbox. The Nintendo Switch version will be the 1997 classic as everyone remembers it with the big exception that this new version will feature online multiplayer.

That's not all that's coming to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. Nintendo will look to add Pilotwings, Mario Party, and Mario Party 2 before the end of this year, while seeking to release Mario Party 3, Pokémon Stadium, Pokémon Stadium 2, 1080 Snowboarding and Excitebike 64 over the course of 2023. That sounds like a fairly limited number of classic games for a 15 month roadmap, but there's always the possibility that more surprises await in the future.

There is no release date for GoldenEye 007 on Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. Look for it to release simultaneously with the Xbox Game Pass version.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?