007 First Light

Setting and characters

007 First Light depicts an original narrative that draws inspiration from the novels and short stories by Ian Fleming and the film franchise featuring the character.^[6] Described as an origin story for the character,^[7] the game follows a young James Bond (Patrick Gibson),^[8] who is portrayed as a 26-year-old,^[9] inexperienced MI6 agent tasked with a mission that, when completed successfully, will grant him his 00 status.^[10][11][12]

The game features new iterations of Bond characters such as M (Priyanga Burford),^[a] Q (Alastair Mackenzie), and Miss Moneypenny (Kiera Lester), re-imagined to reflect their roles in shaping Bond's early career. The game features original characters, such as Bond's reluctant MI6 mentor John Greenway (Lennie James), Bond girl and thief Isola Vale (Noémie Nakai),^[8][9] psychology and game theory expert Selina Tan (Gemma Chan),^[13] flamboyant arms dealer Bawma (Lenny Kravitz), Bond's training colleagues Cressida Bright (Jessica Rhodes) and former SAS trooper Lennox Monroe (Chris O'Reilly), and Bond villains Sir Nicholas Webb (Anthony Howell) and his son, Damien (Bart Edwards).

Plot

A Special Air Service team is ambushed during a retrieval operation in Iceland, leaving Navy aircrewman James Bond the sole survivor. Guided by an MI6 handler, he reaches the target—a research camp studying a crashed satellite—finding it occupied by a mercenary group. Defying orders, Bond rescues the captive scientists and destroys the camp, preventing the asset from falling into mercenary hands.

Bond is recruited by M, the head of MI6, to join the revitalised "00" program. Despite starting months behind the six other candidates, he passes the training under the strict regimen of his unwilling instructor, John Greenway. He grows close to his team, especially recruits Monroe and Cressida. A few months later, the team is tasked with apprehending Rhys Beckett, a rogue agent and former 009, at a hotel in Slovakia. Bond follows a suspicious staff member revealed to be one of the twin assassins, the Murtos, who fatally stab Monroe and set off a bomb that kills two other recruits and cripples Cressida. Before Beckett escapes, Bond attaches a wristwatch to his plane, allowing MI6 to track him to Mauritania.

Bond and Greenway set off to capture Beckett but discover that he has been killed. They deduce that Beckett was the target of the bombing rather than the mastermind, but the proof is destroyed in a mercenary ambush. M declares Beckett responsible for the bombing and closes the case, despite Bond and Greenway suspecting a larger plot. One of the Murto twins attacks Bond at home; Bond chases him to a gala hosted by AI pioneer Sir Nicholas Webb and kills him. He finds evidence linking Webb to the bombing in Slovakia and learns Greenway is a target.

Bond is captured by Webb's son Damien and is rescued by Isola Vale, a professional thief masquerading as a French agent. He reunites with Greenway, who has killed the assassins sent after him. The pair infiltrate Webb Industries' headquarters and, with Isola's help, learn that Webb's actions are cover-ups for mistakes committed by his quantum supercomputer, THEIA, which is being employed by MI6 to predict terrorist threats. THEIA's first mistake was falsely identifying Beckett and two other agents as moles, whom Greenway was sent to eliminate. Webb murdered Beckett to prevent him from exposing THEIA's flaws. Shocked by the revelation, Greenway goes off-grid.

Despite orders to bring both agents in on terrorism charges, M sends Bond to a luxury resort in Vietnam to gather evidence on Webb's duplicity and intercept Damien, who plans to conduct another cover-up by murdering geneticist Theresa Lorca. Bond saves Lorca and kills the other Murto twin but is captured by Damien again. After being freed by Greenway, Bond seemingly kills Damien by crushing him under pipes. Greenway, fatally wounded in the encounter, admits in his final moments that Bond is what MI6 needs and his heroic nature is what defines him.

Webb coerces M into granting him immunity by leaking vital MI6 information. Unwilling to accept such an outcome, Bond goes rogue and teams with Isola to infiltrate Webb's facility in Antarctica, where he discovers Webb's scheme to supplant the British government with THEIA's sibling AI, HYPERION. Bond fights his way to HYPERION's core, but Isola fatally shoots Webb and steals the core for herself. Bond manages to stop Isola and destroy the core, and both are taken into MI6 custody. They are freed when Damien's mercenaries attack the MI6 headquarters. While Isola flees, Bond heads to THEIA's chamber, where Damien seizes THEIA's core. After dispatching the mercenaries with a customized Aston Martin Valhalla, Bond chases Damien into the sewers, disables his exo-suit, and throws himself and Damien into the reservoir below. Damien drowns while Bond is saved by Isola, who kisses him before making off with THEIA's core.

At Greenway's grave, M informs Bond that he has been cleared of all charges and formally inducts him into the "00" program. Designating himself 007, Bond vows to track Isola down to recover the THEIA core and find out whom she works for.

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. In IO Interactive's Hitman: World of Assassination trilogy (2016–2021), combat was a last resort rather than the only viable option. The studio sought to design a combat system with 007 First Light that flows seamlessly into cinematic setpieces.^[30] IO Interactive still aimed to maintain the Hitman series' freedom of choice in gameplay but wanted to avoid creating a "reskin" of Hitman.^[31] 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.^[32] 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.^[33]

007 First Light is the first IO Interactive title to include drivable vehicles.^[34] Art director Rasmus Poulsen described the inclusion of controllable vehicles as a "huge challenge" that the studio had to take on.^[35] The studio had to "bring onto the team specific driving expertise" in order to better incorporate such mechanics.^[36]

Character development

As no actor had been cast to succeed Daniel Craig as Bond for future films at the time of the game's development, IO Interactive felt a sense of freedom in crafting their own version of Bond that did not have to be based on an existing Bond actor or to be a video game adaptation of the films. IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak said, "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."^[37] 007 Legends included an adaptation of one film from every Bond actor and heavily incorporated elements from the films to coincide with the release of Skyfall (2012), while using Craig's likeness for Bond.

In creating its own version of Bond, IO Interactive sought to create something new and unique while still honouring the character's legacy. 007 First Light follows a 26-year-old Bond as a recruit in the MI6 training program. Irish actor Patrick Gibson was cast as Bond. Gibson said he was "pretty stunned" after learning he had been cast.^[38] Narrative and cinematic director Martin Emborg said that Gibson had a level of "built-in impatience" that was "perfect" for a young Bond.^[39] Emborg wanted the young Bond to exhibit "an unearned confidence" that he hoped players would read as a glaring naivety from "a reckless young man".^[40] Senior combat designer Tom Marcham wanted the game's combat to exhibit the character's "inner rage" from his childhood experiences as an orphan.^[40]

When developing the characters surrounding Bond, IO Interactive paid mind to how they influence Bond's personality and mannerisms as he grows into a skilled MI6 agent.^[41] 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.^[41] The character played a similar role in the field during Skyfall's prologue sequence. Moneypenny is voiced by Kiera Lester. With the exception of Judi Dench, M is typically portrayed by an older male actor, inspired by Fleming's own superior officer at the Naval Intelligence Division. Priyanga Burford's version of M in 007 First Light is younger than previous iterations of the character and actively supports and encourages Bond's growth as an agent rather than clashing with him as in previous depictions. John Greenway, portrayed by Lennie James, is an original character created for the game and a senior MI6 field agent who mentors Bond. Q is portrayed as older than the previous iteration of the character by Ben Whishaw in the Craig films, though not as old as Desmond Llewelyn or John Cleese. Actor Alastair Mackenzie played Q as more befitting the "cool uncle figure" he viewed the character as when growing up.^[42]

Promotion

IO Interactive partnered with Coca-Cola for promotion of 007 First Light with themed cans of Zero Sugar Zero Caffeine offering competition prizes, including in-game outfits for Bond and a one-of-a-kind 007 First Light-themed Xbox Series X.^[66] From 14 May to 10 June 2026, a free copy of 007 First Light is bundled with the purchase of an Nvidia GeForce RTX 50 series graphics card.^[67]

Critical reception

007 First Light received positive reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.^[68][69][70]

Writing for Eurogamer, Rick Lane felt that 007 First Light "isn't the Bond game that I wanted from IO Interactive [...] [b]ut I had a great time with it regardless". He especially praised the game's writing, noting that "almost every line lands with wit, soul, or both", and describing it as the best-written AAA game since Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. Lane lavished Bond's characterization, noting how the "younger and more unrefined" Bond present in the game was also "perhaps the most empathetic Bond yet", but felt that "the real surprise in First Light is how strong the secondary cast is", praising the variety of the game's original characters. Regarding the gameplay, Lane noted that 007 First Light is largely a linear action-adventure game, but "frequently pretends that it isn't". He felt that the game occasionally pretended to open up and provide the player with a number of possible solutions, but ultimately funnelled them towards a specific intended path. However, he praised the game's close-quarters combat, as well as its "bluffing" mechanic, which he saw as a novel addition. Lane noted that despite what he felt were immensely enjoyable levels, many of them existed not as distinct locations, but as "spaces that Bond is just passing through on the way to his next objective", hurting their memorability.^[72]

Mark Delaney of GameSpot very directly compared 007 First Light to the Hitman franchise, also developed by IO Interactive. He specifically called out the frequency of needing to distract or otherwise sneak past guards, hanging from ledges or pipes, eavesdropping on conversations, and lying to enemies, all of which he noted were staples of Hitman. Delaney lavished the game's hand-to-hand combat systems, especially praising the interactivity of the environment in combat. He also praised the gunplay, noting how guns "never have much ammo with them", which requires the player to "frequently change what [they're] armed with by taking them off defeated enemies". Delaney additionally praised how well he felt the franchise's tropes fit into the structure of a video game, noting the versatility of gadgets that helped "ensure the spirit of the Bond character is alive". However, he criticized the pacing, feeling that 007 First Light's 20-hour runtime resulted in some sections that were significantly slower than others.^[73]

Amelia Schwanke of TechRadar lavished 007 First Light's cinematic sequences, stating that "IO Interactive has managed to make a [...] game that truly feels like you’re playing a James Bond in a movie". She especially praised the cinematic training montage towards the beginning of the game, which she said felt "straight out of a Rocky film, quickly switching you from one exercise to the next". Schwanke noted that this cinematic attention to detail was spread throughout the entire game, and was especially visible in the original depiction of James Bond with "no Daniel Craig or Pierce Brosnan shadow hanging over him". She also noted Bond's cocky attitude, which came off as "more eye-roll inducing than funny", but felt it worked in the game's favor due to Bond being far younger and less refined than in other depictions. She praised the variety and open-ended nature of the stealth sequences, although she noted that they were significantly "stripped back" compared to the sandbox gameplay of Hitman. Schwanke also praised the gadget system, which she felt was reminiscent of the Batman: Arkham games, as well as the cinematic variety of the game's setpieces, which she compared to Naughty Dog's Uncharted series. However, she noted the frequency of physics-related glitches, as well as the driving sections, which she felt were "tacked on" due to their legacy in the Bond franchise and "not nearly as dynamic as [they] could've been".^[78]

Sales

007 First Light sold 1.5 million units within the first day of release.^[81] The game sold 2.7 million units within the first week of release.^[82] In Japan, the game debuted at #2 on the top 20 games sold in the country from May 25-31.^[83]