Ukraine Is Being Blamed For GoldenEye Remake Axe
We're staring down the gun barrel and being shot with a golden bullet, as the long-rumoured GoldenEye 007 remake has hit another stumbling block. Although we've heard a lot about a modern remastering of the 1997 title over the years, it's fallen into something of a limbo.
Based on the 1995 Bond movie, GoldenEye 007 recaptured the magic of Martin Campbell's franchise reboot that brought Pierce Brosnan into the Bondverse. First-person shooters had already found success with DOOM, but it was GoldenEye 007 that helped popularise the genre on console. 25 years later, it's time for a return.
What's Going On With GoldenEye 007?
The recent PC Gaming Show looked like it was going to finally make good on the promises of GoldenEye 007, but as the Microsoft showcase came and went, there wasn't so much as a whiff of a vodka Martini. Posting on Twitter, Venturebeat's Jeff Grubb has explained what's going on.
Grubb said that due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, GoldenEye 007 is lost in limbo. We previously covered how the game's content and a heavy focus on the USSR could affect its release, but according to Grubb, it's now completely scuppered those whispers of a GoldenEye 007 remake.
Fans were vexed that a remake has been canned (albeit temporarily). One wrote, "Do we even have a word for how far in development it is, or if it's done already? Cause if it's done, then the only limbo here is them figuring out the next reasonable moment to think on releasing it." Another added, "I think Goldeneye is one of those things that's 99 to 100% complete, it's sittings somewhere on Xbox' CDNs but will never get released because the licensing is all f****d." A third concluded, "I would think games with Russians as the bad guys would be en vouge right now."
Will GoldenEye 007 Ever Be Released?
It's a sad state of affairs, but to be honest, completely understandable right now. Grubb's words don't make it clear whether it's the storyline that's holding up GoldenEye 007 or an actual development issue involving Ukraine. Remember, The Quarry multiplayer was delayed so Supermassive Games could get some of its staff out of Ukraine.
Maybe a GoldenEye 007 remake just isn't meant to be. Back in 2010, Microsoft has to pull an Xbox 360 remake that was nearly complete due to rights issues with Nintendo. In the end, the remake was scrapped and Nintendo released its own reimagining for the Wii. More recently, the game was leaked via some Xbox Achievements - suggesting that we were closer than we first thought. For the time being, our hopes are frozen like Boris Grishenko.
