While a James Bond game developed by the studio behind Hitman sounds like a no-brainer, IO Interactive had to make some interesting decisions when it was originally pitching to get the rights to James Bond for 007 First Light. In an interview with IGN, IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak revealed that the studio went as far as showing gameplay from Hitman World of Assassination, but with Agent 47’s head replaced by that of Daniel Craig.
To lean further into the themes of what a James Bond game would entail, the studio made use of the Sapienza level, which involves the players assassinating targets in a large mansion while also destroying a dangerous virus that was being developed in an underground lab beneath the mansion.
“We actually did put Daniel Craig in there”, Abrak said. “We just modeled his head and put it in instead of Agent 47, just for demo purposes, giving an impression of what these living, breathing spaces mean in an IO game. And if you are acquainted with the franchise, there is a level called Sapienza with the virus in the caves underneath the compound. So we showed some things off there and, yeah, it was well received.”
According to Abrak, the fact that IO Interactive was able to pitch a game that didn’t just involve constant action set pieces with guns blazing and explosions everywhere helped sell the idea more. The core of the pitch revolved around the fact that the studio is able to design intricate levels that offer a variety of gameplay styles, all of which would be right at home in a game based on James Bond.
“It was just for demo purposes, right?” Abrak explained. “I think what they saw in us and what we are also conveying is our angle would be to try to deliver a 360 experience where it’s not necessarily about only shooting and cut scenes — there’s certainly that in our game as well — but it’s also being able to explore the part of the Bond fantasy where he is in social spaces where he is using not only his fisticuffs, but also his charms and bluff and figuring out different ways in those social spaces to overcome the obstacles or get what he wants. How would a charming Bond fare in a situation like this where he doesn’t have to necessarily resort to violence?”
As for why the final product doesn’t feature Daniel Craig’s take on the James Bond character, Abrak revealed that the studio wanted to focus on an origin story for 007. To do this, it ultimately decided to go with Patrick Gibson to portray Bond in 007 First Light. This, he explained also helped the studio in making sure that the title isn’t seen as simply being a movie adaptation. Rather, as Abrak describes it, the studio wants it to be “built from the ground up as a game for gamers” while also offering an authentic James Bond experience.
“We’ve only made original worlds and characters before, so this is our first time working on something else”, Abrak said. “So it was very important for us that we could put our creative fingerprints on this as well. So we weren’t interested in a gamification of a movie or maybe where it’s about technical prowess only, like pushing the pixels on Pierce Brosnan, for example, or just taking some bespoke scenes from a movie and realizing them in gaming.”
“It was very, very important for us that this was built from the ground up as a game for gamers, but that really, really felt like a genuine Bond experience. And also exploring a space that hasn’t been explored before, where it’s not necessarily about just starting from day one with this super-experienced agent that knows exactly from the start of the game how he wants his drinks or how he’s walking around in a tuxedo. But part of the experience is that this young man is learning the ropes and is being faced with the world of espionage and becoming throughout this journey. So I thought that was very interesting to explore.”
007 First Light is being developed for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and the Nintendo Switch 2. The title is slated for release on March 27, 2026.
