'If Hitman is a single-minded killer and basically the bad guy of the game, Bond is the hero': IO Interactive talks about shifting priorities for its upcoming 007 game

In some ways, 007 First Light looks like an easy step sideways for IO Interactive. Agent 47 is basically Bond anyway, minus the hair, turbocharged sex drive, and occasional witty (or groan-worthy) quips, right? So just add those things and you're halfway finished. Except as the studio explained in an exclusive interview with PC Gamer, it's not quite that simple, because 47 and Bond really aren't alike at all.

Bond and 47 do share some superficial similarities—they're both sharp dressers who earn their living by killing people—but that's really where it ends. Hitman's Agent 47 is "an empty shell," IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak said, whereas James Bond, even as a very young man as he is in First Light, "is very much a personality."

That personality is a big part of what enables Bond to do what he does—things that Agent 47, at least nominally a quiet killer, could never pull off. Narrative and cinematic director Martin Emborg said 007 First Light players can take the 'stealthy infiltration' approach if they like, but the new game "has a lot more forward momentum," and that means you can be much more straightforward in how you handle things, just like the man himself.

"You need a lot of patience to play Hitman," Emborg said. "You need to be sitting there seeing the patrol—he goes over there, and he likes wine, and you overhear that thing. But Bond, he can also just walk through the front door. 'I'm actually just going to go and talk to them. I'm just going to go punch him right now'."

First Light also forced a shift in priorities for IO Interactive, which is bringing its own perspective to the Bond character but still has to respect the underlying fundamentals of who he is—much more than a vaguely cartoonish assassin who never cracks a smile.

"If Hitman is a single-minded killer and basically the bad guy of the game, Bond is the hero," art director Rasmus Poulsen said. "That means that we are much more focused on his journey as a character, and we are much more focused on saving the world."

007 First Light is currently slated to be out sometime in 2026 and is up for wishlisting now on Steam.