007 First Light: How IO Interactive Is Bringing James Bond Back to Video Games

More than a decade have passed since James Bond last appeared in a whole video game, with 2012’s much-maligned 007 Legends, which is both a celebration of the film series ‘ 50th anniversary and a sequel to Films that year. Thankfully, Danish video game publisher Dai Interactive has been diligent […]

The first article on Den of Geek was 007 First Lighting: How IO Interactive Is Bringing James Bond Up to Video Games.

More than ten years have passed since James Bond last appeared in a whole video game, with the most current release being 2012’s widely detested 007 Legends, which is both a party of the film series ‘ 50th anniversary and a sequel to Bond that year. Luckily, Danish video game developer Dai Interactive has been working on a fresh Bond game for years. It was originally released in 2020 under the name Project 007 before being officially titled 007 First Light in June 2025. Following the release of a video for the PlayStation State of Play, IOI organized a special display event in conjunction with Summer Game Fest 2025, which featured a panel discussion with the show’s developers.

This Bond activity isn’t based on any existing films or novels by Ian Fleming, according to the trailer and developers, but instead offers a novel and contemporary take on the American superspy. This is a younger Relationship who is just starting out in his 20s and has a reputation for getting the job done as much as defying his better soldiers. This Bond has a noticeable scar down his face, and he is tall, dark, and large, in contrast to Fleming’s intellectual description of the personality.

The future game, which features the secret adviser, is just the start of a long series of titles starring the secret agent, according to IOI CEO and co-owner Hakan Abrak, who described 007 First Sunshine as” just the beginning of our trip with 007.” First Light also features its own unique takes on company staples like M, Q, and Moneypenny, as well as a new personality, John Greenway, played by American artist Lennie James from The Walking Dead and Blade Runner 2049. This is in addition to the truck and screen conversation that highlight a Bond that is not based on the likeness of any pre-existing depiction. The young 007 plays a coaching and handler part in the trailer, which makes references to Greenway working directly with M on Bond’s MI6 development and working in the field alongside the younger agent.

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Although 007 First Light was created using IOI’s specialized Glacier Engine, which it formerly used in its Hitman activities, the developer makes sure to identify the gameplay from those that players are familiar with playing Agent 47. In First Light, Bond you resolve missions with a variety of solutions, but based on the footage thus far, action is more important than in the more stealth-focused Hitman. Franchise producer Jonathan Lacaille made the point that the sport wasn’t intended to think like a mobster game with just a hero swap for James Bond during the IOI Showcase panel, but rather its own take on the recognizable franchise.

Although some of the video features a tropic coastal building, it’s also unclear who the opposition Bond and MI6 are facing throughout the activity or where Bond is being dispatched based on comments from the designers and the images seen in the reveal trailer. In one scene of the gameplay footage, Bond quickly breaks into cover, snapping his pistol and shooting at targets while performing a training drill, while another scene features him engaging in hand-to-hand combat to subdue his foes. This shift in perspective certainly helps IOI’s previous games, but it also marks 007 First Light as the first Bond game developed primarily from a third-person perspective since Activision’s James Bond 007: Blood Stone in 2010.

One of the unaddressed elephants in the room is that 007 First Light is being developed in a world where the film industry is at a critical turning point. Through their studio Eon Productions, Amazon MGM Studios took over the franchise in March 2025 from its long-time heirs Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. Although IOI is developing and publishing the game under license from Amazon MGM Studios and Eon Productions, the developers did not comment on any possible effects this change might have had on the game – in all fairness, First Light was in development for years before this creative shake-up occurred.

The film’s future for Bond is still uncertain, but 007 First Light is the franchise’s first significant release since IOI’s No Time to Die, which introduces a decidedly post-Daniel Craig era. First Light has plenty of creative room to breathe since it has been 24 years since a Bond game was released without any measurable connection to the film series, either through a movie tie-in or the likeness of an established Bond actor. And judging from this first look and IO Interactive’s stellar track record with its Hitman games, James Bond appears to be in good hands with a solid creative partnership for the foreseeable future.

For the Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, 007 First Light will be available in 2026.

The first article on Den of Geek was 007 First Lighting: How IO Interactive Is Bringing James Bond Up to Video Games.