007 First Light is the first major
game featuring James Bond following a long hiatus resulting from the critical and commercial failure of
007 Legends (2012), which saw publisher
Activision having its non-exclusive licence to produce video games using the
James Bond IP revoked by
Eon Productions and
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in January 2013.
Hitman series developer
IO Interactive met with Eon Productions to pitch their own vision for a
James Bond video game as they were developing
Hitman 3 (2021). According to company president Hakan Abrak, the studio was under the impression that "[Eon] were not looking for a game," having grown dissatisfied with the action-oriented style and gameplay of the latest console
Bond games under Activision. Chief creative officer Christian Elverdam stated that a move away from relying on weapons to complete missions was an integral part of the studio's pitch to Eon, citing their work on
Hitman as a game where violent solutions were actively discouraged, as an example of how Eon were convinced by IO Interactive that there was a "sophistication" in how the developers approached espionage gameplay. The developer also emphasised their interest in pursuing an original interpretation of
James Bond divorced from any of the prior literary and cinematic incarnations of the character, as they wished to apply a similar effort to creating their own narrative for an existing IP as they did for any of their original projects and characters. This includes the likeness of James Bond himself, which is not derived from any of the actors to portray him on film, a first for the character in a playable capacity since
James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire (2001). Elverdam was also excited at the prospect of having a version of James Bond produced from the ground up for gaming, remarking on how it removed expectations that their version of the character would have to adhere to characteristics of pre-existing iterations while also being a take on the property "gamers can call their own." He additionally recalled a trip the development team made to
Pinewood Studios during production of the film
No Time to Die (2021), which instilled the "gravity" of taking on the
Bond licence. According to Abrak, the idea of depicting James Bond's origin and efforts to claim his
licence to kill, an event only definitively and briefly portrayed in the opening of the
Daniel Craig film
Casino Royale (2006), was enthusiastically received between IO Interactive and Eon, who were both receptive to the idea of a narrative that is "completely beginning and becoming a story" as opposed to directly adapting the plot of an existing
Bond film. The game's art director, Rasmus Poulsen, stated that the team sought to avoid portraying certain aspects of the character that were deemed outdated, and in particular, attitudes towards women seen expressed by Bond in previous series entries that the developers believed would be considered
sexist by current audiences. IO Interactive has added a new proprietary
volumetric smoke system to its Glacier engine for
007 First Light which it claims "has not been done anywhere before". The game will also incorprate
ray tracing and "fully dynamic"
global illumination in its lighting model.
Gameplay development IO Interactive took inspiration from the freeflow combat system in the
Batman: Arkham series and the large action setpieces and destructible environments seen in the
Uncharted series. Combat in the
Hitman: World of Assassination trilogy was a last resort rather than a truly viable option. IO Interactive sought to design a combat system with
007 First Light that flows seamlessly into cinematic setpieces. IO Interactive still wanted to maintain the
Hitman series' freedom of choice in gameplay but wanted to avoid creating a reskin of
Hitman.
007 First Light emphasises greater forward momentum for the player's gameplay style whether that be in stealth or open combat compared to the slower, more deliberative, puzzle-like approach of
Hitman where assassinations required setup. Unlike
Hitman, "you're playing as a spy, not an assassin" according to IO Interactive which puts greater emphasis on infiltration, investigation and eavesdropping on clues.
007 First Light is the first IO Interactive title to include drivable vehicles. Art director Rasmus Poulsen described the inclusion of controllable vehicles as a "huge challenge" that the studio had to take on. The studio had to "bring onto the team specific driving expertise" in order to better incorporate such mechanics.
Character development portrays a young James Bond in
007 First Light. As no actor had been cast to replace
Daniel Craig in the Bond role for the 26th film, IO Interactive felt a sense of freedom in crafting their own version of James Bond that did not have be based on an existing Bond actor or to be a video game adaptation of the films. IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak said that "I don't think we would have necessarily had the same energy and the same vision and the same results if we were to do a gamification of a movie". The last Bond video game,
007 Legends (2012), included an adaptation of one film from every Bond actor and heavily incorporated elements to coincide with the release of
Skyfall while using Craig's voice and likeness for Bond. In creating their version of Bond, IO Interactive sought to create something new and unique while still honouring the character's iconic legacy.
007 First Light follows a 26-year-old James Bond as a recruit in the MI6 training program. Irish actor
Patrick Gibson was cast as Bond. Narrative and cinematic director Martin Emborg said that Gibson had a level of "built-in impatience" that was "perfect" for a young James Bond. When developing the characters surrounding Bond himself, IO Interactive paid mind to how they influence Bond's personality and mannerisms as he grows into a skilled MI6 agent. Emborg said that they imbued surrounding characters like M and Moneypenny with "some of those qualities that you know from Bond, and so that they can inform the character". Moneypenny plays a more active role in
007 First Light as a field analyst who assists Bond in the field rather than simply being M's secretary as in the original stories.
Brand integration The game will feature a new
Omega Seamaster chronograph watch specially designed for the game, alongside the upcoming
Aston Martin Valhalla. Both brands featured heavily in the film series, and the gameplay trailer indicates they have been modified for use as Q 'gadgets'. == Music ==