Widely considered to be one of the most influential first-person shooters of all time, GoldenEye 007 absolutely changed the game for console FPS titles when it first released all the way back in 1997. GoldenEye was far from the first FPS game on a console, but it was one of the first to popularize a more modern control scheme, which future titles like Halo: Combat Evolved would refine even further. While its campaign was solid, it was GoldenEye 007's split-screen multiplayer mode that made it a game of legend, and now that legend can be enjoyed by modern fans on both the Xbox and Nintendo Switch.
For the longest time, rumors about a GoldenEye 007 remake have made their way to the internet, only to be met with silence. And while fans still don't have that long-awaited remaster or remake, they can at least now play the game on modern consoles. And in a surprisingly generous move, Microsoft has let GoldenEye 007 come to Nintendo Switch as well.
It's Great to See GoldenEye 007 on Both Xbox and Switch
GoldenEye 007 will always be associated with the Nintendo 64, and it's always included in lists of the best N64 games ever made, being one of the rare inclusions that isn't from a first-party Nintendo studio. Despite once developing solely for Nintendo's consoles, GoldenEye's developer Rare began to grow apart from Nintendo during the late 1990s, and in 2002, Microsoft acquired Rare for $375 million. Since then, Rare has worked almost exclusively with Microsoft to produce first-party titles for the Xbox, including Viva Piñata, Kinect Sports, and Sea of Thieves.
With a GoldenEye 007 remake or remaster on the cards for quite a while, fans were wondering just how Microsoft would handle the exclusivity situation. On one hand, releasing a remaster of GoldenEye 007 on all platforms would undoubtedly yield more money for the company, but on the other, the Xbox is extremely lacking when it comes to first-party exclusives, and GoldenEye remaster could be just the title to draw in fans who have been previously loyal to other platforms. This situation only became more complicated when Nintendo announced its Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack which was set to add some beloved Nintendo 64 games to the service. Of course, one of the N64's most beloved titles is GoldenEye, and not having it on the service would be a pretty major blow to Switch Online's Expansion Pack.
Thankfully, Microsoft has decided to be surprisingly lenient with its GoldenEye 007 license, and Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscribers can now enjoy a port of GoldenEye 007. On top of that, Xbox users can also enjoy GoldenEye 007, with the same port now available through Xbox Game Pass, or free to those who own the Rare Replay collection. Unfortunately, in a fairly confusing move, the Xbox version of GoldenEye is missing an online multiplayer mode, with that being exclusive to the Switch version, though both versions of the game still allow for iconic split-screen multiplayer chaos.
Right now, Microsoft is trying to get as many publishers and developers on its good side, with its monumental Activision-Blizzard acquisition heavily relying on the support of other voices in the gaming industry to be passed through. While the cynical may look at this sharing of IP as simply a tactical move to try and get the Activision acquisition through, there's no denying that this is a win for both Switch and Xbox owners.
GoldenEye 007 was first released for the Nintendo 64 in 1997. It is available now for Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
