The developers of fan remake GoldenEye 25 have been hit with a cease and desist order. The order specifically instructs the team to stop working on the game immediately and also to delete all social media posts and profiles pertaining to it. Thankfully, there's a silver lining to this rather dismal cloud: GoldenEye 25 will become its own original IP using many of the assets already worked on by the devs.
What happens to GoldenEye 25 now?
Composer Yannick Zenhäusern shared a video detailing the cease and desist order and the fate of GoldenEye 25. In the video, Zenhäusern says that a lot of the material crafted by lead designer Ben Colcough "can be reused", albeit without any reference whatsoever to the original James Bond IP. The new project will have a different narrative but will still be in the spirit of 90s shooters such as the original GoldenEye. He describes the cease and desist as "a new beginning - not the end", saying that this change in IP will allow the team to sell the game and port it to consoles without worrying about licensing issues.
Instead of GoldenEye 25, the project will now be known as Project Ianus. The team has set up a Twitter page for the game and shared some of the assets that will make it into the finished work after being developed for GoldenEye 25. The music Zenhäusern created for GoldenEye 25 will not be lost, and much of it can still be licensed as a standalone album. However, it won't be used in Project Ianus, for which Zenhäusern will compose an entirely new score inspired by 90s shooters and using the same soundfonts and instruments.
A number of gadgets were finished. I think we'll be doing some backwards game design. Here's what we have, now let's invent a game around these assets. pic.twitter.com/3KLN08X9Ab
— Project Ianus (@projectianus) August 11, 2020
Despite MGM and holding company Danjaq issuing this cease and desist order, the companies don't seem to be interested in other projects involving GoldenEye, such as the ongoing GoldenEye: Source Half-Life 2 mod. Whether this is due to oversight, because GoldenEye: Source is a mod or something else that means GoldenEye: Source is being left alone is unclear. We'll have to wait and see if this is the beginning of a crusade for MGM and Danjaq or whether GoldenEye 25 is the only casualty.
All social media profiles for GoldenEye 25 will be deleted by Friday at the latest. If you're still interested in keeping up with Colcough and Zenhäusern's Project Ianus, you can do so via the game's new Twitter and Facebook profiles. When we have more info about Project Ianus, we'll let you know. Until then, mourn GoldenEye 25, but look forward to what the devs are cooking up next.
How do you feel about GoldenEye 25's identity change? Let us know in the comments below!
