IO Interactive has revealed that the studio’s new James Bond game,007 First Light, will receive post-release content updates in the same vein asHitman: World of Assassination.007 First Lightis a single-player reimagining of James Bond’s origin story, first announced just a few weeks ago during PlayStation’s State of Play presentation. It will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC in 2026.
In partnership with Amazon MGM,007 First Lightis IO Interactive’s first foreign IP venture after breaking away from Square Enix in 2017. Since then, the studio has steadily brought all three mainline titles in theHitmanfranchise—Hitman(2016),Hitman 2(2018), andHitman 3(2021)—under the umbrella ofHitman: World of Assassination, an initiative that transformed the game into an ever-evolving, live-service single-player experience. Due to the standout success of this model, which sawWorld of Assassination’s player count exceed 75 million, IOI aims to recreate it in007 First Light.
In an interview withThe Game Business, CEO Hakan Abrak confirmed that007 First Lightwill follow thesame live-service blueprint asHitman, with new missions that will be steadily added to the game over time. Abrak also reassured players that they would receive a complete package on day one. “The first objective with007 First Lightis to come out with the best possible, most impactful journey for gamers,” he said. Though007 First Lightis being developed in collaboration with Amazon MGM, which means there is some oversight, Abrak has stated that everyone is in full agreement about “who Bond is,” settling fears about a potential difference in vision that could complicate development.
007 First Light Will Be a Single-Player Live-Service Game
Hakan Abrak pointed to the team’s past work onHitman: World of Assassinationas a foundation for007 First Light. “You could expect that we’ll be applying some of our learnings fromWorld of Assassinationto Bond,” he stated. That said, the studio’s goal isn’t to turn007 First Lightinto anotherHitman, as the fundamental playstyle and gameplay loop of any would-be James Bond title should be inherently different from an Agent 47 game. Thecinematic trailer for007 First Lightoffered no gameplay footage to get a real feel for how it will play, but Abrak promises that there will be “more actiony things and more kinetic challenges in Bond.”
Abrak also confirmed that007 First Lightwill be available on the Nintendo Switch 2, explaining that the decision stems from “unfinished business” with the platform after a lackluster implementation ofHitmanon the first Switch’s Cloud services. The studio believes that the game is well-suited for on-the-go play that consoles like Switch 2 facilitate. Whether this also means that IOI is trying to make sure007 First Lightwill be Steam Deck Verified is still up in the air.
The reveal of007 First Lightreinforces IO’s growing influence in the AAA space. The studio provides an alternative model for how a single-player mission-based game can thrive in the increasingly saturated market space while maintaining independence and quality. How this unusual formula will fare for a brand-new IP that’s notHitmanwill go a long way toward showing its sustainability in the long term. If successful, others may start following in earnest.
