Here’s the first look at IO Interactive’s new James Bond game, ‘007 First Light’

IO Interactive has finally lifted the veil on its long-gestating James Bond game, 007 First Light.

• READ MORE: ‘Hitman III’ review: absurd international assassination at its absolute finest

During PlayStation‘s State of Play showcase one Wednesday (June 4), IO Interactive shared the first trailer for the highly anticipated game. Officially titled 007 First Light, the game was first announced in 2020 and was dubbed Project 007 at the time.

IO Interactive’s reveal – which comes shortly after the title announcement – confirms that 007 First Light will be released sometime in 2026, though a confirmed launch date has yet to be announced. It will serve as an origin story of sorts, with a young James Bond taking on a mission to earn his coveted designation as agent 007.

The game’s take on Bond will portray him as the youngest iteration of the beloved character yet, at the ripe age of 26. The trailer sees M describe the young, brash spy as “a bullet without a target” and assigns him a mission in hopes of giving Bond a sense of focus while exploiting his world-class skills.

Besides its story, the trailer also offers a peek at 007 First Light‘s gameplay, which will see players tap into several mechanics synonymous with developer IO Interactive’s acclaimed Hitman franchise, including stealth and explosive shootouts.

An official description of the game via the PlayStation Blog reads: “In 007 First Light, Bond starts as a NAVY air crewman, when against all odds, an audacious act of bravery propels him on MI6’s most challenging training program. This training coupled with his natural instinct, wits, and heart will see him grow into a fully-fledged spy. It’s a completely original standalone story, developed in collaboration with Amazon MGM Studios.”

A deeper look at 007 First Light‘s gameplay is set to be revealed this summer.

In 2021, IO CEO Hakan Abrak said 007 First Light would feature an original James Bond story. “It was very important for us that it wasn’t a movie adaptation. It’s not a game about a specific movie, where the story has already been told. Every Bond defines a generation and it’s amazing how they kept reinventing themselves over so many years,” he explained. “We’re inspired by the whole thing, and just sucking things into us to make an original Bond, an original story, but that is absolutely true and recognizable in the values there is in Bond.”

Last year, the studio confirmed new mission director Rodrigo Santoro for the project. “Right now, I am looking forward to starting working with the team, and together, delivering the best 007 game ever made,” he said in a statement. “I admire how the studio dares to innovate and create new memorable game experiences. This is particularly remarkable in times when most companies are focused on making sequels.”

007 First Light will be the first James Bond game to release in 14 years. The last Bond title to launch was 2012’s poorly received 007 Legends, developed to celebrate the iconic film series’ 50th anniversary.

That game slapped together six missions from iconic Bond films, each featuring past 007 actors: Goldfinger (Sean Connery), On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (George Lazenby), Moonraker (Roger Moore), Licence to Kill (Timothy Dalton) and Die Another Day (Pierce Brosnan). A mission from Skyfall (Daniel Craig) was later released as a free DLC.

IO Interactive’s last release was 2021’s Hitman III, which scored a four-star review from NME that referenced 007 First Light: “The last mission itself is a brilliant proof of concept for the James Bond game – working title ‘Project 007’ – IOI is making next, providing evidence that linear missions are still heaps of fun within the ever-expandable Hitman sandbox. I was left confident that the studio’s next game will be a labour of love, which is a nice coda to bookend an already brilliant experience.”

007 First Light will release on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2.

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