007 First Light is the first James Bond video game since 2012’s horrendous 007 Legends. Created by Hitman developer IO Interactive, the new action-stealth game aims to combine the simulation stealth of the studio’s past with the bombastic cinematic action you’d expect from the film series its based on.
James Bond as a franchise has gone through a lot of tones, but the modern film interpretation of Daniel Craig’s Bond has been more of a cynical take on the gentleman spy. While IO’s game started off as a Hitman demo with Craig’s head on Agent 47’s body, the video game is moving away from the darkness of the recent films to a more “hopeful” story similar to the Brosnan era.
“As we meet Bond as a young man, the tone and the story needed to reflect his youthful perspective,” 007 First Light main writer Michael Vogt says in a recent video. “It’s not a dark and gritty or cynical world – it’s dangerous to be sure – but it’s fun and inviting and adventurous, and ultimately hopeful.”
“There’s a ruthlessness to him when the situation requires it.”
007 First Light lead writer on how their Bond is still Bond
IO’s more “modern values” take on James Bond focuses on a contemporary version of the character who has not yet been through the ringer. Unlike Craig’s Bond, who was seemingly cynical even before becoming a 00-agent, this video game interpretation of the classic literary character has not yet fallen to the same level of pessimism as prior incarnations.
“He’s not jaded, yet,” Vogt continues. “So Bond is experiencing this hidden, exciting world of espionage for the very first time. Of course, we want to convey a sense of bright-eyed wonder here. There’s this trope of the hero who walks away from explosions, right? Because he’s so cool. But the reasons heroes walk away from explosions is because they’ve seen so many of them. But this is Bond’s first outing, and he’s 26-years-old, so, I think, he’s going to turn and watch that explosion.”
While this may not be a mature Bond, it is still Bond, which Vogt is clear to explain. The character still has his sarcastic personality, he’s still a ladykiller, he’s “cool under pressure, and, of course, he’s insanely capable and resourceful”. This is still the action hero we know and love underneath, even if the full Bondness of it all takes a while to come out.
“There’s a ruthlessness to him when the situation requires it,” the writer continues. “Emotional distance, or at least a reluctance to deal with emotions. He’s not the suave connoisseur, either, who knows everything about champagne or wine and fancy cars—I think that will come with age and experience. But, because he’s a young guy, there are also some traits we haven’t really seen before. There’s an innocence to him here. He’s quite trusting and earning and idealistic either, sort of traits that you sense will not really survive in this job for long.”
With the entirety of 007 First Light set to a live orchestra soundtrack inspired by decades of the franchise’s past, including a full original Bond opening by Lana Del Ray, it’s clear that IO Interactive has a very clear idea of its take on the franchise. Combined with Hitman-esque missions that offer great deals of player choice, this is shaping up to be the best Bond game ever made, if the game can stick the landing.
007 First Light releases on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC on May 27, 2026. A Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game is in development, but has been delayed to an unspecified date later this year.
