IO Interactive’s James Bond game 007 First Light has sold 2.2 million copies less than a week after launch.
The Bond origin story, which has become Denmark’s most expensive entertainment project ever, reportedly cost $202 million to create over the span of seven years.
While product placement—such as the game’s heavy Coca-Cola inclusion—may have helped alleviate the cost of development, it’s still IO’s highest-budget game by far. However, with strong sales since launch, it appears that IO’s future, such as its plans to make more Bond games, is in good hands.
According to very accurate analytics platform Alinea Analytics, 007 First Light has managed to sell 2.2 million copies across PC, Xbox Series, and PlayStation 5. After selling 1.5 million copies in its first day of release, the game has seen a great continuation of sales since then.
At the time of writing, 55.1% of sales are on PlayStation 5 with 33.1% on PC, and 11.8% on Xbox Series. This is a stark departure from IO’s Hitman series where PC players typically make up the largest percentage of players.
With 2.2 million copies sold, IO has reportedly made around $150 million of gross revenue, which is less than the game’s budget. However, just like the studio’s Hitman games, IO is hoping for 007 First Light to have a similarly long tail with consistent post-launch sales as new content is added to the game.
While the game’s campaign is open and shut with teases for future sequels, the game’s intriguing TacSim challenge mode will be heavily expanded over time. After finishing the campaign, the game reveals that brand-new missions—such as an Aston Martin driving challenge—will be added after launch. Right now, IO has a team of developers working on new missions for the game.
However, there is some trouble in paradise due to the shift in ownership of the Bond IP since development started. When IO started work on 007 First Light, the IP was held by MGM, but is now held by Amazon after its 2021 acquisition.
In an interview with Polygon, GM of gaming at Amazon Jeff Gattis claimed that future titles in the series will be “done by MGM and, theoretically, by Amazon Game Studios.” Many have assumed that this would mean the series will be stripped from IO Interactive, however, Amazon’s video game slate as of right now doesn’t just include internally-developed games.
Alongside its internal portfolio—which exists of a few duds and closed-down MMOs—Amazon is involved in the development of other titles. For example, Amazon Games is the publisher behind Crystal Dynamics’ upcoming Tomb Raider games, so the company is willing to publish titles by existing developers.
The future of 007 First Light is now murkier than fans would like, but its clear that fans want more of IO’s particular brand of Bond. With high sales and a strong reception from both fans and critics, Amazon should be willing to publish additional games in the series, although that’s not guaranteed.
Of course, later this year, 007 First Light is coming to a new platform: Nintendo Switch 2. After a delay earlier this year, the game’s handheld version will release later this Summer as IO works on additional optimisation for the device.
