GoldenEye 007 release date finally announced

The beloved Nintendo 64 classic re-release was announced months ago but is finally getting a release on Xbox and Nintendo Switch.

The Nintendo 64 classic GoldenEye 007 was announced to be getting re-released on modern platforms months ago, but it finally has a release date.

Originally released in 1997, the classic first-person shooter is making a big return on the Nintendo Switch and Xbox consoles.

The game is set to release this week, on Friday, 27 January, though it’s likely to be available much later in the day. The Australian Xbox Game Pass Twitter account says that it will release on 28 January, so either way it won’t be too long to wait.

GoldenEye 007 is based on the hit 1995 movie of the same name, which was the first James Bond film to feature Pierce Brosnan in the leading role. The film had James Bond tracking down a former MI6 agent who’s gone rogue, and was generally well received by critics and fans.

The game adaptation was popular among Nintendo 64 players back in the day due to its solid gameplay and intense split-screen multiplayer mode. The game’s multiplayer had up to four players battling it out on the same console, and its popularity led to the game becoming an instant cult classic.

GoldenEye 007 will feature split-screen multiplayer on both Switch and Xbox. Picture: Microsoft

The Switch re-release of the game will feature online multiplayer through the Nintendo Switch Online - Nintendo 64 app, so players from around the world can battle it out from afar. It will also feature support for wide-screen display, a first for a Nintendo 64 game on the Nintendo Switch.

The Xbox version unfortunately won’t feature online multiplayer, but it does come with improved graphics, which have been “recreated and enhanced” for the modern era while still very much keeping within the look and feel of the original release.

GoldenEye 007 was originally developed by Rare, the development studio who also made the Donkey Kong Country and Banjo Kazooie games. Rare was acquired by Microsoft in 2002, and has been responsible for games such as Viva Pinata, a Battletoads reboot, and Sea of Thieves since then.

It comes as Nintendo is reportedly ramping up Switch production in 2023, according to Bloomberg sources. The company reportedly told suppliers to increase their production of parts necessary for the console, as it enters its seventh year on the market.

There also seems to be some evidence that Nintendo might be bringing back Nintendogs, a similarly beloved franchise that captured public attention when it was released on the Nintendo DS.

Written by Oliver Brandt on behalf of GLHF.