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GoldenEye 007 remaster announced for Xbox Game Pass

GoldenEye 007's original is coming to Nintendo, but Xbox is going a step farther.

Ozzie Mejia

September 13, 2022 7:38 AM

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Earlier today, Nintendo announced that the original GoldenEye 007 would make its way to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. It was a surprising move for many reasons, the biggest being that original developer Rare is locked under the Xbox umbrella. Surely there was something in it for Xbox to allow this move. As it turns out, the teams at Xbox and Rare are looking to go further by releasing a full-blown remaster of the 1997 classic. On top of that, it's coming to Xbox Game Pass.

The original developer noted on the Rare Twitter account that the Xbox version of GoldenEye 007 would be remade for Xbox platforms. It will offer full 4K resolution, a smoother framerate, and new achievements with support for both online and split-screen multiplayer. (Update: Maybe not so much online play, according to The Verge.) The team also noted that it has also been working with Nintendo on their version of GoldenEye 007, which will be the original game made for the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service.

GoldenEye 007's return has been rumored for many years, most recently back in February 2021. As one might imagine, any attempts to re-release the game hit numerous licensing hurdles, not just from Rare's move to Xbox, but also from the various entities that own the James Bond license. It now looks like all parties were able to collaborate to finally be able to make this re-release happen.

There is no release date for GoldenEye 007, but the team at Rare notes that the game will release simultaneously alongside the Nintendo Switch version. Even more interesting, remember Rare Replay? Those who own the digital version of this giant Rare collection will be entitled to download GoldenEye 007 at no extra charge as soon as it's ready.

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?