GoldenEye 64 Remake shut down by Bond Licence holder
GoldenEye 64 Remake shut down by Bond Licence holder
GoldenEye 25 aimed to recreate the single-player portion of GoldenEye 64 within Unreal Engine 4, with hopes to release the game on PC in August 2022 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Nintendo 64 classic.Â
Thankfully, the GoldenEye 25 team’s efforts will not go to waste, as their existing work will now be re-forged into Project Ianus, a new 90s style first-person shooter. GoldenEye 25’s Twitter account will be deleted later this week, and PC gamers can follow the progress of Project Ianus on the project’s new Twitter account.Â
With project Ianus, all James Bond references will be removed from GoldenEye 64, all weapons and items from the game will be given their real-world names or new fictional names. Thanks to this removal, Project Ianus can also be released on Steam. Consoles ports will also be possible.Â
IP Lawyering at its finest
There hasn’t been a new Bond game for PC or consoles since the launch of 007 Legends in 2012. The franchise has no recent entries, and there doesn’t appear to be any plans to release any new Bond games in the near future. In recent times, the closest that we have gotten to a new Bond game is Forza Horizon 4’s “Best of Bond” DLC, and that’s just a themed car pack.Â
GoldenEye 25 used no assets from GoldenEye 64, used no code from the original and was a non-profit fan game. It posed no threat to the James Bond franchise or its license holders. While IP law must be respected, these laws exist to encourage IP owners to create new products and media. When the proper right holders are unwilling to create new Bond games, do they have the moral right to shut down non-profit fan projects? Food for thought.Â
You can join the discussion on GoldenEye 25’s ceasing its development on the OC3D Forums.Â
 Â
 Â