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.

N64 directorrarefps 1971–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