Hitman developer Io Interactive’s James Bond game has been reannounced with a proper title, 007 First Light. It also has some new key art, which confirms some important Facts: unlike Hitman’s depthless master mimic Agent 47, James Bond has hair, formed into a neat side-parting by the passage of a narrowly escaped bullet. He also has ears, a high-collared leather jacket, and a gun.
Or what looks like a gun. He could be just doing a finger pistol to fake us out. I do not trust this particular James Bond. He is, after all, a cousin of Agent 47, that barcode-blazoned Fury peering out of every mirror. Io Interactive’s James Bond doesn’t even have a face right now. The face is hopefully forthcoming in the world premiere later this week during Summer Game Fest 2025, along with James Bond’s legs and feet.
Why no, I’m not padding out a nothingburger of a news story. I’m just artfully buying James Bond time to circle behind you and karate chop you in the neck. Let these be the final words you ever read: the world premiere will include “never-before-seen footage”. Who knows, I might be at SGF in person to check it out.
Here is what little we know about Io Interactive’s Bond game so far. It’s a prequel story, as suggested by the marketing catchphrase “earn the number”, featuring a brand new 007 who is not based on any of the movie ones. No fear of a Brosnan/Moore turf war in the comments, then.
Io are also “rediscovering new sides of the agent fantasy with James Bond”. The translation here could be: “we’re trying to work out how to do stealth in a gameworld where we’re contractually forbidden from murdering chefs with homing briefcases while dressed as a clown”. I feel like the easiest way to square that circle would be to make a Bond game in the tradition of the older Bond films, less the sexism. Go back to Bond at its daftest and most gadget-driven, long before Daniel Craig rolled up with his bulletproof glower. Agent 47 would have done well in that era.
