People

Martin Hollis

GoldenEye's architect

Martin Hollis directed GoldenEye 007 at Rare, creating one of the most influential console shooters and redefining licensed games.

nintendo-64directorrarefps1971–present

Overview

Martin Hollis joined Rare and led development of GoldenEye 007 for Nintendo 64. The game defied expectations for licensed titles, delivering innovative gameplay that helped establish console first-person shooters. Hollis later founded Zoonami and has worked on various projects. His work on GoldenEye influenced countless shooters that followed.

Fast facts

  • Role: director of GoldenEye 007.
  • Studio: Rare.
  • Game: GoldenEye 007 (1997).
  • Innovation: console FPS design, objective-based missions.
  • Later: founded Zoonami, consulting work.

GoldenEye’s innovations

What Hollis’s team created:

  • Objective-based missions: more than just shooting.
  • Difficulty scaling: harder modes add objectives.
  • Multiplayer: legendary split-screen battles.
  • Stealth options: alternative approaches.

Design philosophy

Hollis’s approach to games:

  • Interactivity: player agency in how to solve problems.
  • Layered difficulty: content for all skill levels.
  • Multiplayer value: social play as core feature.

See also