Executives at Argonaut, developer of the recently remasteredCroc: Legend of the Gobbos, have expressed a desire to remasterBuck Bumble, an overlooked title of the Nintendo 64 era. First released in 1998,Buck Bumblewas developed by Argonaut and published by Ubisoft as a Nintendo 64-exclusive 3D shooter.
In an era defined by the increasing prevalence of remakes and remasters, it’s becoming somewhat common to see old games given the same prominence and treatment as brand-new ones. Therecent rerelease of PS1 classicCroc: Legend of the Gobbosis just one example of the revival trend and demonstrates its upside, introducing new players to a classic and recalling warm memories in players that grew up withCrocand other games of the era.
In a recent interview published by MCV Develop (via VGC), Argonaut co-CEO Mike Arkin and founder Jez San expressed a desire to potentially remaster or rerelease the 1998 third-person shooterBuck Bumblesomeday. They didn’t specify when or even if such a project might happen, though. Arkin said that he hopes that “Buck Bumble will also have his day in the sun, eventually.” AsBuck Bumblewas a standalone N64 game, an Argonaut-led remaster would be the first time it has left its native platform, if it were to happen.
Developer Argonaut Wants to Remaster Buck Bumble Eventually
While Argonaut did mention the game might be remastered eventually, fans of one of theN64’s most creative debut charactersmay have to stay patient as they wait for news. That’s because Argonaut is currently in the midst of remasteringCroc 2in the wake of the success of theCroc: Legend of the Gobbosremaster. According to Arkin, “early work” is underway on theCroc 2remaster, which will involve a different approach to remastering due toCroc 2having a different engine thanCroc 1. All this would putBuck Bumblefurther in the back of the line for attention from Argonaut. Elsewhere in the interview, Arkin and San mentioned that the reason they choseCrocfor remastering was due to its popularity, which far outstripped any other Argonaut project, including the studio’s breakout project,Starglider, which San called his “first-born” game.
By comparison,Buck Bumblewas more obscure due to the Nintendo 64 being a less popular console at the time. Even today,the game is less known for its quality or influence than for the fact that it remainsan N64 exclusive game with no official rerelease or port, not even via Nintendo’s emulation-based Switch Online catalog.
With luck, fans ofBuck Bumblewon’t have to wait long for Argonaut to try its hand at a remaster. If successful, it could open the door to reviving the property, potentially establishing its titular cybernetic bee hero as a new mascot for the current generation.
