As part of a surprise announcement during September’s Nintendo Direct, the company revealed that the classic N64 title GoldenEye 007 is coming to the Switch as part of the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service. The game will support online multiplayer, a huge step forward from the original game, and will join the rest of the N64 titles that make up part of the Expansion Pack.
Shortly after the Direct ended, Microsoft and the James Bond website shared that a fully remastered version of the game is coming to Xbox Game Pass. This version is separate from the Switch release and will support 4K resolution as well as better frame rates, according to The Verge. Neither version of the game has a solid release date just yet, but fans already have plenty of questions about how multiplayer will work.
Here are all the details about GoldenEye 007’s upcoming online multiplayer.
GoldenEye 007’s online multiplayer
At time of writing, online multiplayer is exclusive to the Switch version of the game. Switch players will be able to participate in four-player matches online through the use of the Switch Online app’s online lobbies, according to the official James Bond website. Because multiplayer is not available on the Game Pass remastered version of the game, there won’t be any crossplay potential between Switch and Xbox—all players will need to have the Switch version of the game (and therefore be Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers) if they want to play online.
Like the N64 original, the Game Pass version of the game will support split-screen local multiplayer, so up to four players can play together on the same console. Everyone will have to be in the same room, though, since that remaster won’t include online multiplayer.
It’s unclear why online multiplayer is exclusive to the Switch. Some have speculated that there are licensing issues affecting the use of the James Bond name and franchise since putting multiplayer in the remaster would be considered the addition of new content rather than the tweaking of multiplayer that already exists, as is likely the case with the Switch version. For now, Game Pass subscribers will have to be content with local multiplayer and a fresh coat of paint for the classic title.
