Speaking in a recent interview with UK-based Official Nintendo Magazine, GoldenEye 007 designer Martin Hollis admitted that while he would love to see a re-release of the Rare developed FPS classic on Virtual Console, a muddle of licensing issues are waiting to be resolved before it can happen. Seeing as the parties involved have been unable to reach agreeable terms, there is little hope for such blockades to be lifted in the future:

There’s always someone with some exclusivity agreement, so there’s lots of lawyers… I’m not going to hold my breath. I’d love it to happen, but I can’t see it.

It’s unfortunate for us gamers when business entanglements from the legal side get in the way of things, but that’s the reality of it. Time to dust off that N64 if you want to relive the experience of playing what is often considered as a – if not the – defining title for the console first-person shooter market.

Follow this author on Twitter.