Few IPs are as protected or coveted as James Bond, because, up until a $1 billion sale, the Broccoli family managed just about every aspect of the character's screen rights from 1962 to present. So just how was IO Interactive able to land the rights to make 007 First Light, the first James Bond game in over a decade?
007 First Light Isn’t Just About Bringing James Bond To Life, But Leaving Agent 47 Behind
We sit down with IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak to break down the creation of 007 First Light.
Well, it turns out a little bit of Photoshop can go a long way in making dreams become reality. No, seriously.
Daniel Craig And Agent 47 Were A Match Made In Video Game Heaven
As first reported by IGN, game director, Hakan Abrak, who also doubles as IO's CEO, shared that the initial pitch towards making 007 First Light a reality involved sculpting Daniel Craig, the last person to play James Bond in cinema, onto Agent 47 of Hitman.
"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."
Well-received enough to land the license, of course. The reason why Sapienza was chosen, according to Abrak, is because it was the best display of the Bond "fantasy," where he is actively involved in social settings, using his charm to help achieve his mission and not just weaponry.
"How would a charming Bond fare in a situation like this where he doesn't have to necessarily resort to violence?" Abrak described.
The pitch was clearly a success, and here we are with a release date of March 27, 2026, for First Light. Fortunately or unfortunately, Craig was never an option to continue on as the video game Bond, as IO wanted to leave its own mark on the franchise.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 88/100 Critics Rec: 96%
- Released
- May 27, 2026
- ESRB
- Teen / Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
- IO Interactive
- Publisher(s)
- IO Interactive
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure, Stealth
007 First Light Looks Awesome, But I’m Already Wishing It Was Like Hitman
There's nothing quite like Hitman... not even IO Interactive's next game.