007 First Light: How the Hitman Studio Made Bond's Origin Story
A 26-year-old recruit, a Lana Del Rey theme and IO Interactive's first-ever drivable cars. 007 First Light sold 4 million copies and won over critics. Here is how the Danish studio earned its licence.
Before he was a legend, he was a 26-year-old naval aircrewman with no field experience. That is the James Bond of 007 First Light, IO Interactive's take on how the world's most famous spy earned his double-0.
The game launched on May 27, 2026 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S after a two-month delay. It scored 87 on OpenCritic, with 97% of critics recommending it, and sold 1.5 million copies on day one, 2.7 million in its first week and 4 million by August 20, 2026. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is now due on March 18, 2027.
A Bond before the tuxedo
First Light is an original story, not an adaptation of any film or novel, though it draws on Ian Fleming's books and the movies. Bond is an inexperienced recruit whose talent and recklessness get him noticed by MI6, and the game follows him through the missions that earn him his 00 status.
IO Interactive cast a mix of rising and familiar faces:
- Patrick Gibson as James Bond
- Priyanga Burford as M
- Alastair Mackenzie as Q
- Kiera Lester as Miss Moneypenny
- Lennie James as John Greenway
- Gemma Chan as Selina Tan
- Lenny Kravitz as Bawma
From Hitman to 007
IO Interactive is the Danish studio behind Hitman, and reviewers saw that DNA in how much freedom the missions give you. But First Light is a different kind of game: a story-driven action-adventure that follows one character's growth, and the first IO game in which you can drive vehicles.
The game runs on IO's own Glacier engine, with a new volumetric smoke system. Directors Hakan Abrak, the studio's chief executive, and Martin Emborg led the project.
The gadgets and the brands
It would not be Bond without the toys. The game features a custom Omega Seamaster, the "Q Watch", and an Aston Martin Valhalla. Nvidia bundled the game free with GeForce RTX 50 series graphics cards between May 14 and June 10, 2026.
Reviews and sales
Critics praised the freedom of the missions and Patrick Gibson's performance. Metacritic scores were 84 on PC, 87 on PS5 and 88 on Xbox Series X|S. Steam user reviews are "Very Positive", with 90% of nearly 20,000 English reviews recommending it.
It debuted at number one in the UK and number two in Japan in its launch week. The 4 million sales by late August make it one of the best-selling new games of the year and an emphatic answer to anyone who doubted that a licensed Bond game could still work.
Why it matters
Licensed games are a hard business, and James Bond has had a patchy history in games since GoldenEye 007 on the Nintendo 64. First Light shows that the right studio, with a strong existing toolkit and real creative freedom, can make a licence feel like its own thing.
WGC's take: if you like the Hitman trilogy, this is an easy recommendation; it feels like IO's ideas about freedom finally given a full blockbuster story. If you have never played a Hitman game, First Light is a friendlier way in. See where it ranks in our 2026 AAA year so far.