It was a rather historic moment in the history of video games last week when Rare’s cancelled XBLA remake / remaster of GoldenEye 007 was leaked onto the internet. The game nobody thought would see the light of day was finally released, even if it wasn’t official.
Following this, discussions immediately resurfaced about the license and the parties for and against the release of the game. At the time, we heard how Nintendo supposedly wasn’t to blame, but it may have played a part.
Now, in a slight update, former Rare artist, Ross Bury, has shared some extra insight with Ars Technica, revealing how the game had been approved by everyone at Nintendo – or so they thought until one company executive (who remains unknown) apparently brought the project to a halt when it was almost complete.
“When it was put to Nintendo, everyone there approved it, except they didn’t check with the one guy who mattered… I believe I was told his response went along the lines of, ‘There is no way a Nintendo game is coming out on a Microsoft console.”
Bury adds how this one guy’s “orders trumped everything”, which is believed to have included MGM and OEM’s handling of the Bond video games at the time, according to Ars Technica.
Keep in mind, this is just one account of what happened, and there’s still a possibility the entire situation may have not helped by MGM and co. Back in 2016, Xbox head Phil Spencer, said GoldenEye 007 had “always been a rights issue” rather than anything else.
What do you make of Bury’s comments? Share your thoughts down below.