Rare’s N64 Classic GoldenEye 007 Is No Longer “Banned” In Germany

Rare’s legendary Nintendo 64 shooter GoldenEye 007 is believed to be stuck in licensing hell, but there’s been a very exciting development in Germany that has now got fans wondering if it could finally be making a return.

According to a number of sources, the game is no longer “banned” for sale in Germany. It’s been removed from an index of games, and apparently, one of Nintendo Europe’s partners has actively requested a review. Here’s a summary of exactly what’s happened, courtesy of Reddit user Shin_Ken:

Goldeneye 007 has been taken from the german BPjM list of “Media Harmful to Young Persons” which heavily restricted its sales in Germany.

This review process happens automatically after 25 years but in this case, the review has been actively requested prior to that date (by one of Nintendo’s European partners which in this case probably acts as a proxy).

Such a request doesn’t come for free and usually you wouldn’t do it unless you plan something with your media.

Again, according to the above source, and outlets like Eurogamer’s German website, this request happened before the index expired (25 years). Unsurprisingly, the timing of this has now led to speculation about the game coming to Nintendo’s recently launched Switch Online ‘Expansion Pack’ service, which contains N64 titles as part of the package.

Earlier this year, when Rare’s cancelled XBLA GoldenEye 007 Remaster leaked online, talks resurfaced about what it would take to get this particular game officially released. Much like the original N64 title, it’s a licensing nightmare – but one of the Remaster’s co-project leads said it was mostly on Nintendo.

Would you like to see the original James Bond game for the N64 make a return in some way or form? Do you think this latest development will change anything? Leave your own thoughts and theories down below.