The Spy Who Loved E3
13th December 2023
A trip down memory lane of James Bond appearances at the videogame expo
By MI6 Staff
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The Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3 as it was better known, started back in 1995 in Los Angeles and grew to become the largest annual videogame event in the world, drawing in huge crowds to see the latest titles from major publishers. News broke this week that E3 is over. The pandemic and shifting industry trends (major publishers host their own dedicated events now) put paid to the expo, which last had a virtual event in 2021.
With the E3 era over, take a trip down memory lane with all the times James Bond games were announced or previewed at the show:
1997 - The world was not aware of the legend that was about to be born: 'GoldenEye 007' on the Nintendo 64.
1999 - With the James Bond licence moving to Electonic Arts, the publisher showcased their first major 007 title: 'Tomorrow Never Dies.' This trailer has differences from the fame that was eventually released.
2000 - A trailer for 'The World Is Not Enough' for the PS2 was showcased by EA, but the game would be cancelled and subsequently reworked in to...
2001 - EA showcased gameplay footage of 'Agent Under Fire' on their booth.
2002 - Gameplay footage for 'NightFire' was shown at E3 with the synthetic Bond from 'Agent Under Fire.' A few months later, he would be replaced with Pierce Brosnan's likeness.
2003 - EA showcased a preview of 'Everything or Nothing.' The pre-rendered animation looked nothing like the final game, but some of the key mechanics were there.
2005 - Sean Connery was back for 'From Russia With Love' and EA had gameplay footage on their booth. The trailer for the game was released at the same time.
2008 - Activision took over from EA and started development work on their first game during the filming of 'Casino Royale'. By the time the game was ready for release, the current film was 'Quantum of Solace', so they took the latter title even though most of the levels were from Craig's debut (told in flashback). The booth had gameplay footage and they released the trailer online during the show.
2010 - Activision and Nintendo unveiled the remake of 'GoldenEye' for the Wii. It would be the first time that a James Bond actor replaced another with Daniel Craig's likeness and voice being used in place of Pierce Brosnan. '007: Blood Stone' was also unveiled at the show.
2012 - Last, and perhaps least, Activision revealed '007 Legends' at E3 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the film series. Daniel Craig's James Bond was thrust into past films of other actor's tenure with little explanation.
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