Hitman hitmakers Io Interactive have just screened some extensive footage of their James Bond adaptation, 007: First Light, during Sony’s latest State of Play livestream. As you might expect, it looks and sounds a lot like Hitman, but the whole “James Bond” thing is a definite pace-changer. Catch the whole video below, plus a hasty, opinionated summary from me.
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Sony and Io’s Jamesplay blowout spans a couple of First Light missions, the first being a multiple-agent undercover affair during an exclusive chess tournament held in Slovakia, which begins with our hero kicking his heels in a carpark while disguised as a chauffeur. All seams peaceful. But then our hero remembers that he’s Bond, James Bond, and has better things to do than fulfil his allotted role in a painstakingly organised MI6 operation.
The subsequent 20 minutes or so can be divided into five courses. First, a dash of infiltration that readily channels Agent 47, with Bond using environmental distractions to bamboozle security staff and steal their IDs. Always a fan of bouncers who are hopelessly baffled by leaky hosepipes.
Then, there’s a dollop of social stealth, with Bond hustling a bartender for clues about a weirdo bellhop. Then, it’s time for an Xbox 360-ass car chase with a femme fatale in the passenger seat. Next, James must blow up one million red gas tanks while cover-shooting through a crowded airfield to an escaping transport plane. Then, he must do a crafty QTE hack on the plane’s attitude controls, so as to wrongfoot the on-board defenders and ultimately, turn the plane into a meteor shower.
If it were me, I’d still be in that carpark playing Tetris on my Q-phone. But I am not Bond, James Bond. Io’s version of the character is as smug, quippy and basically unbearable as you’d expect from a Bond actor pre-Daniel Craig. I rate him seven Rogers out of Connery so far.
The other Jamesplay excerpt from Sony’s sprawling Bondcast sees the handsome cad infiltrating a gala in Kensington, London. It may be down to the State of Play presentation, but this one feels much more like a Hitman World of Assassination mission, with Bond navigating the crowd, eavesdropping for interaction opportunities, pickpocketing the help, and generally keeping it on the down-low.
Io and Sony polish everything off with an edited section showing off the game’s various supporting systems. Certain actions earn you Instinct, which can be spent to bluff your way out of confrontations, lure guards into takedowns, and slow time for headshots.
You also get gadgets, of course, such as a laser with which to drop chandeliers on those foolish enough to enjoy their crystal glow, and smoke grenades for when you can’t be arsed to hide properly. Lethal force appears to depend on Bond being granted “License to Kill” by his handlers – you can’t just murder somebody with a pair of scissors whenever you fancy, for you are Bond, James Bond, not some barcode-wearing hooligan.
All in all, I think this looks entertaining. It’s either a Hitman game that has gracefully yielded to Bond’s appetite for getaway shoot-outs, or a Bond game that has studied long and well under Agent 47’s tutelage – take your pick. It’s out March 27th 2026.