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.

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