Goldeneye 007 May Be Coming to Nintendo Switch Online

The N64 hit Goldeneye 007 has been banned from being advertised or sold to children in Germany for decades. Now, Eurogamer Germany reports (via Eurogamer) that the ban has been lifted, leading to speculation that the title may be coming to Nintendo Switch Online.

Interestingly, Germany’s ban on Goldeneye 007 was set to automatically expire next year, once 25 years had passed since the game’s original 1997 release. This means Germany deliberately removed the ban a year early, but why?

Eurogamer Germany and others speculate this was done so Nintendo can release Goldeneye 007 to their new Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership plan. The Expansion Pack plan brought Sega Genesis and Nintendo 64 games to Switch Online subscribers in October, but many fans thought the annual price point of $49.99 was too high for a handful of old games.

However, Goldeneye 007 was the most popular N64 game back in the day. If Nintendo could let modern players relive those living room deathmatches from the ’90s, then the company would likely sell many additional Expansion Packs.

Before you get your own hopes high, though, you should know that Microsoft once tried to bring an HD remake of Goldeneye 007 to the Xbox 360 and ran afoul of complex copyright issues. If Microsoft could not navigate those issues with their deep pockets, it’s not immediately clear if Nintendo would have better luck.

So, do you think James Bond is coming to Switch Online? Let us know in the comments!