The realm of video game preservation is often a surprising and charming space. This was again proven recently, as a GoldenEye 007 remastering, originally planned for launch on the Xbox 360 in 2007, leaked online in a playable state after a full game uploaded to YouTube.
If you’re familiar with the original N64 release of GoldenEye 007, you’ll see by watching the video how faithful it is to a remaster. Gameplay, music and sound effects remain intact, while the game’s textures have undergone a significant upgrade.
It is not entirely different from the remastering of 4J Studios in 2010 Perfect Dark, which also launched in the Xbox Live Arcade ecosystem. A big difference here is that the GoldenEye 007 remaster was not outsourced. Instead, it was being developed internally by Rare itself.
A lot of old Boris
Unfortunately, the GoldenEye 007 remaster was dropped due to copyright issues, but it appears to be in an almost complete state. In fact, the full remaster is now available for download and can be played on an emulator.
It has been confirmed that the game is really playable, and in a nice state too, with John Linneman of Digital Foundry citing this in a tweet posted earlier today.
Thinking about making a live broadcast from the DF this afternoon to discuss and play the leaked version of the Goldeneye 360. It’s really good. Any interest? pic.twitter.com/h9J84JymMPFebruary 3, 2021
Thanks to various efforts, the GoldenEye 007 remaster has been preserved so that fans of the original can check it out whenever they want. In a typically witty way, Rare also didn’t let the project die with a groan, recognizing its likely end with this cheeky initial screen:
Although an officially released GoldenEye 007 remastered was extremely welcome on the XBLA platform, the rights to 007 video games are notoriously difficult to navigate. The IP is jointly owned by Danjaq LLC and Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Several video game companies have had access to the franchise over the years, including EA, Activision, Nintendo and, most recently, developer Hitman IO Interactive.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has always seemed well aware of the interest in an official remastering of GoldenEye 007. In 2015, Spencer tweeted that rights “are so challenging, looked at that many times. Lots [sic] from different parts to work, we always give up. ”So there is still hope for a day for an official revival of this iconic game.