IO Interactive is finally starting to lift the veil on 007 First Light, the first AAA James Bond game in over a decade. James Bond game’s used to be a staple of the gaming industry with GoldenEye, 007 Nightfire, 007 Everything or Nothing, and even some of the more underrated games like 007 Blood Stone releasing regularly. However, when 007 Legends was released next to the Oscar winning Skyfall and was a total disaster, the right holders to Bond weren’t keen on more games for the franchise. When Activision’s deal with the IP lapsed (or was forcefully ended), Bond disappeared from gaming.
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However, now he is returning with 007 First Light, a new video game from Hitman developer IO Interactive. The new third-person action game will blend bits and pieces from the Hitman series into a traditional Bond adventure, but one built with gaming in mind. Historically, this was a franchise used for tie-in games to help promote a new movie, but this time, there’s no new movie in sight. It will likely be a few years before Denis Villeneuve’s James Bond movie hits theaters and is currently being written as we speak, so this is a fresh take, separate from anything else going on with the brand.
007 First Light Tells James Bond’s Origin Story
The MI6 agent’s past has always remained slightly elusive, though the Daniel Craig films explored the idea in various ways. The first scene of Casino Royale quickly shows us how he earned his double-0 status and then shows how he develops into a cold hearted killer who doesn’t like to get too close to anyone. We also learn a little bit about his youth from Skyfall and Spectre, but it’s still kept very general.
However, 007 First Light is being marketed as an origin story for Bond. The trailer teases the tragic mountain climbing accident that claimed the lives of his parents and seemingly scarred him while also highlighting his journey to becoming a spy. Although IO Interactive has previously been coy on who is playing the dashing spy, it has been confirmed that Dexter: Original Sin actor Patrick Gibson plays James Bond in this outing.
007 First Light Will Have Massive Cinematic Set Pieces
It seems like 007 First Light may pull a bit from franchises like Uncharted to have big, scripted set pieces that capture the scope and scale of something you’d see in a Bond film. A 30-minute gameplay preview of First Light showed an epic car chase through the mountains, an explosive gun fight at an airfield, and a daring escape from a crashing airplane without a parachute. The player is still in control during the bulk of this, but it will be more guided to give players that wow factor they expect from something this big.
007 First Light Is a Spy Game First and an Action Game Second
Although there will be shootouts and big chases, IO Interactive’s strengths lie in the quieter moments, as proven by Hitman. As a result, you’ll spend a lot of time in 007 First Light sleuthing, sneaking around, and avoiding head on engagements. Bond is able to pickpocket, eavesdrop, smooth talk his way out of problems, charm his way into getting info, and much more. He’s a resourceful agent and he doesn’t always need a bullet to solve his problems.
Bond is equipped with a Q watch that packs a laser that can stun enemies, hack cameras, and much more. Rest assured, this is a Bond that loves his toys and players will be able to make use of them throughout the entire game.
007 First Light Is Just the Beginning
If all goes well, 007 First Light will be the first game in a trilogy. IO Interactive has already expressed interest in making more Bond games and they’ll likely chronicle the character’s arc into being the experienced spy legend that we all know and love. IO Interactive was able to make Hitman games at a fairly fast pace, so one could hope to see something similar for James Bond.
It’s unclear if IO Interactive will adapt villains we’ve seen before in later titles, such as Blofeld, but it wouldn’t be too shocking. 007 First Light will feature 009 as an antagonist, a character that has had very minor roles and references in previous films. It’s also not the first time Bond has battled a rogue MI6 agent, as seen in GoldenEye and even Skyfall.
007 First Light will release on March 27th, 2026 for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
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