The Wii version of N64 classic GoldenEye almost didn't have guns in it because the James Bond producer "did not really want anything that was violence"

GoldenEye 007
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Most people know James Bond as the globe trotting, pistol toting super spy, but one of the IPs owners didn't want 007 using any guns in the GoldenEye remake for the Wii.

In an interview with the Grit podcast (spotted and transcribed by GameSpot), former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick reveals some behind-the-scenes secrets about the 2010 GoldenEye 007 game.

"[Barbara Broccoli] didn't really want guns in the game," he says. Broccoli is the co-owner to the film franchise rights for James Bond, and while I love what she's done with the movies, I think keeping guns out of a sequel to one of the most iconic FPS games of all time would have been a misstep. "GoldenEye is what actually sold the N64," as Kotick notes.

"We made a sequel, and it was a challenging thing to make because Barbara Broccoli did not really want anything that was violence," Kotick says. He goes on to explain that she was wary of including guns and violence because of how much kids loved the spy, but James Bond does a lot of things that aren't exactly kid-friendly in the films.

It also would have been tough not to use guns because that's what everyone would be expecting from a James Bond game that utilized the Wii's motion sensors. What's cooler than actually feeling like 007 himself, doing his iconic pose with your Wiimote? Actually, now that I've typed it out, a lot of things would be cooler, but it's still fun to do.

During the interview, Kotick also says the former EA and Unity CEO was "the worst CEO in video games." John Riccitiello did oversee Unity's disastrous plans to charge developers every time someone downloaded a game using the software, and he made comments about getting players to pay to reload in Battlefield. So, he's no saint, but Kotick is maybe the most controversial gaming CEO there is, with a lawsuit brought against Activision Blizzard accusing Kotick of ignoring credible allegations of misconduct within the company.

Anyway, if you're a fan of shooters, check out the best FPS games you can play right now.

Issy van der Velde
Contributor

I'm Issy, a freelancer who you'll now occasionally see over here covering news on GamesRadar. I've always had a passion for playing games, but I learned how to write about them while doing my Film and TV degrees at the University of Warwick and contributing to the student paper, The Boar. After university I worked at TheGamer before heading up the news section at Dot Esports. Now you'll find me freelancing for Rolling Stone, NME, Inverse, and many more places. I love all things horror, narrative-driven, and indie, and I mainly play on my PS5. I'm currently clearing my backlog and loving Dishonored 2.

Read more
Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2's Killzone-inspired sniper "could maybe use some tweaking," creative director admits, but "weapons are what weapons are" and "balance doesn't matter"
Halo Wars promo image showing top-down RTS combat
Master Chief's absence from Halo Wars wasn't Bungie's fault, it was a move to make players "care about everybody else" in the RTS
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4 director Shinji Mikami promised 20 years ago to disembowel himself if the legendary third-person shooter ever left GameCube, so nobody tell him it's now on over 10 different platforms
Shadow and Maria in Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sonic 3 writers talk that crucial change to Maria's death scene: "I don't think we can just shoot a little girl"
Doom: The Dark Ages screenshot
Doom director claims The Dark Ages can be beaten without using a gun, but "the game's not necessarily built to do that"
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 screenshot
I swore I'd never even look at a Call of Duty game, but then I started falling asleep to the sound of Black Ops 6
Latest in FPS Games
Screenshot from PowerWash Simulator 2, showing two jet washers spraying one dirty wooden house.
After 3 years and 44,327 overwhelmingly positive Steam reviews, viral hit PowerWash Simulator is finally getting a sequel complete with split-screen co-op
Screenshot from Spectre Divide, showing a character in a purple jumpsuit and full face mask aiming their gun.
Despite more than $60 million in investments, Shroud-backed FPS Spectre Divide and its dev are shutting down after the first season failed "to cover day-to-day costs"
Counter-Strike 2 release trailer screenshot showing an old-style white desktop PC running the Counter-Strike menu atop a wooden desk
After concerns from Valve, creators of CS:GO mod that aimed to "recreate the 1.6 vibe" are now "auditing the current build" to comply with guidelines
Doom: The Dark Ages screenshot
Doom director claims The Dark Ages can be beaten without using a gun, but "the game's not necessarily built to do that"
Battlefield Bad Company 2
Battlefield dev reveals more of his Bad Company 3 script and confirms the plot would revolve around the squad getting kicked out of the military and brought back for a final suicide mission
A Titan readies for combat in an animated trailer for Apex Legends Season 19
Yet another Respawn shooter has reportedly been canceled, following the studio's Star Wars FPS and rumored Titanfall Legends game to the grave
Latest in News
Ori director says Microsoft thought the beloved Metroidvania was too hard, but he's "on the Miyazaki side" and believes "you have to overcome challenge"
Overwatch 2
Xbox's new gaming AI aims to "help you get good" at everything from Overwatch 2 to Minecraft by watching you play and giving you advice
Jenna Ortega as Astrid Deetz in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice 2 star Jenna Ortega would love to star in another classic horror comedy franchise: Gremlins
Baldur's Gate 3 mind flayer with pale purple skin and facial tentacles stares ahead with glowing yellow eyes
Console players, good news – you might be able to play custom Baldur's Gate 3 campaigns soon, thanks to the D&D RPG's official mod manager
Horizon Forbidden West
As Sony trots out an AI-powered Aloy, Horizon Zero Dawn fans revel in the irony: "The entire game is a warning against this kind of nonsense"
Terminid creature miniature for the Helldivers 2 Board game
Helldivers 2 board game inbound from the same studio as the Monster Hunter World adaptation