The N64’s GoldenEye 007 Hits Switch and Xbox This Week, With Online Multiplayer

In a move sure to be hailed by elder millennials everywhere, we have the surprise announcement this morning that beloved Nintendo 64 first person shooter GoldenEye 007 is finally headed to both Xbox and Nintendo Switch this week on Jan. 27, 2023. On the Xbox, GoldenEye 007 will be released by Rare as GoldenEye 007 HD, described as a “faithful recreation” of the original, supporting up to 4K resolution, smoother frame rates and the split-screen local multiplayer that made the original famous. And you won’t even have to use the N64 controller! The game will already be included for Xbox users who own a digital copy of Rare Replay, and will be part of Xbox Game Pass.

Meanwhile on the Switch, Nintendo is working with the original version of the game, and will be able to offer a real prize: Online multiplayer modes, allowing players to dive into the utter madcap action of 4-player Bond multiplayer even if they don’t have friends available for local co-op. I can only imagine that will be a pretty significant selling point. GoldenEye 007 will join other N64 titles that were originally added to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service back in 2021, when it was notably absent.

An official HD remaster of GoldenEye 007 has been a project in the works, off and on, for literal decades at this point, with licensing and rights issues proving to be a thorny impediment. The thought that a whole new generation of younger players will now have a chance to hear GoldenEye’s iconic soundtrack, or the unmistakable sound of a proximity mine clicking into place, is enough to warm even a jaded videogame enthusiast’s heart. Check out the trailer for the Switch’s version below.