James Bond’s first major original video game in more than a decade is released today.
After years of development, 007 First Light is finally here. The new game from IO Interactive, the studio behind the Hitman series, gives Bond fans something they have not had for a long time: a completely original 007 story created specifically for gaming rather than tied to a film release.
That matters because James Bond has one of the strangest histories in gaming. Few franchises have reached the heights of Goldeneye 007 only to spend so many years struggling to follow it. Released in 1997 for the Nintendo 64, the game became far bigger than anyone expected and helped define multiplayer gaming for an entire generation.
Several Bond games followed. Some performed well enough at the time, particularly Everything or Nothing and From Russia with Love. Most faded quickly.
IO Interactive appears to understand why Goldeneye 007 endured. The studio has consistently spoken about Ian Fleming’s original novels rather than simply the films, and Fleming’s Bond was often far removed from the smoother cinematic image that developed later. That harder edge has often disappeared in games, where explosions and gadgets usually take priority.
The timing of the release is also notable. Earlier this year Amazon MGM Studios completed its takeover of creative control of the Bond franchise from Eon Productions. Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson are no longer guiding the series creatively, with David Heyman and Amy Pascal now producing Bond 26. Denis Villeneuve is attached to direct, while Stephen Knight is writing the screenplay. So while the next film is still some distance away, 007 First Light arrives at the beginning of a new era for Bond.
Fleming always wrote Bond as a modern character rooted firmly in his own time. In the 1950s that meant expensive meals, brand-name cigarettes, new technology and the anxieties of the Cold War. In 2026, a major video game is arguably one of the clearest ways to keep Bond contemporary.
For Bond fans curious to see how 007’s gaming return compares with the classics, 007 First Light is available now on Amazon UK and Amazon.com.
