Rumored GoldenEye 007 Remake Is Reportedly In Limbo Due To The War In Ukraine

The future of an HD remake of GoldenEye 007 that has long been rumored to be close to release is now in question because of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

According to Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb, who reported earlier this year that the game’s announcement was imminent, the project is currently “in limbo because of the war.” Eurogamer has also chimed in, reporting that it understands Grubb’s statement to be accurate based on their own sources.

There seems to be little question that the remake of the classic N64-era shooter is real. A list of achievements and screenshots for the game appeared on Microsoft’s servers towards the beginning of the year, seeming to confirm the rumors that the project was nearly finished and ready for release.

While Grubb didn’t provide any further details on the situation, it’s easy to see why now might not be the best time to release GoldenEye 007. The game (and the plot of the film on which it is based) involves James Bond sabotaging and fighting against the Soviet Union, and several of the game’s missions take place in Russian locations like Saint Petersburg and Siberia.

GoldenEye 007 isn’t the only major game to be stuck in limbo due to the war in Ukraine. Nintendo’s Advance Wars 1+2: Reboot Camp was originally slated to release for Nintendo Switch back in April, only to be shelved indefinitely due to recent “world events.”

While Advance Wars had been officially announced, the same can’t be said for GoldenEye 007. Grubb previously reported that Microsoft would be announcing and releasing the game (it was originally made by Rare, which is now owned by Microsoft). However, the original GoldenEye 007 was published by Nintendo on the N64. The rights to the James Bond license itself has changed hands numerous times as well, making the rights situation complicated and likely part of the reason why the game has not received a remake or a port in the over two decades since the original’s release.

It could be some time before GoldenEye 007 sees the light of day, but there is another James Bond video game in the works. Hitman developer IO Interactive is currently in the process of crafting a new, original game based on the iconic spy.