6/2/2021
A highly sought-after remaster of the hit James Bond video game GoldenEye 007 has been leaked online more than a decade after it was cancelled.
Developer Rare produced the original game in 1997, and was working on an updated version for the Xbox in 2007.
But the project was scrapped because the various parties involved could not reach an agreement over rights.
The leak came a week after YouTube gamer Graslu00 posted a two-hour video showcasing the remastered software.
Footage of the unreleased game has occasionally been posted on YouTube over the last 10 years, tantalising fans who were desperate to see it released.
Dr. Doak
Video games designer David Doak, who worked on the original 1997 game, told the BBC it was fun to see the remastered game "out in the wild".
"It is always heart-warming to see that the original game is still so fondly remembered and has obviously brought joy to so many people over almost 25 years since release.
"The current excitement over the leak of this 'naughty remaster' speaks volumes for the impact and enduring legacy of GoldenEye 007."
David Doak also appeared as a character called Dr Doak in the original game, but was replaced in the remastered version.
Some gamers have already modified the leaked software to put him back in, which he said was "particularly touching".
'Challenging' rights
Based on the James Bond movie of the same name, GoldenEye 007 was a best-seller on the Nintendo 64 console.
However, by modern standards the console has very low resolution graphics and fans have long hoped for a high-definition remake.
Rare was bought by Microsoft in 2002 and did release updated versions of several of its games on the Xbox Live Arcade service.
It also developed a remaster of GoldenEye 007, which retained the full single player campaign and popular multiplayer mode.
The updated game ran at a smooth 60 frames per second, and players could switch between the updated graphics and original N64 graphics at the touch of a button.
But Xbox boss Phil Spencer has previously tweeted that the rights involved in releasing it were too "challenging".
Developers have previously suggested that Eon, which owns the James Bond movie franchise, had not been happy with the way the character had been portrayed in the original game.
Composer Grant Kirkhope told news site Video Games Chronicle: "The main reason it didn't happen was because there were too many stakeholders. Microsoft, Nintendo and Eon could never agree on terms, and that's before you even start to consider getting all the original movie actors to agree to have their likenesses used again."
To complicate matters, by 2007 the licence to make James Bond games was held by another studio, Activision.
It published a completely different version of GoldenEye 007 in 2010, with the story changed to the present day.
In the game, GoldenEye star Pierce Brosnan was replaced with the new James Bond, Daniel Craig.
(Original Post: BBC)