Credit: IO Interactive under license from Amazon MGM Studios, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Eon ProductionsA brand-new James Bond movie reboot is underway. Director Denis Villeneuve (Dune: Part Two) is at the helm while Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders) is on writing duties.
However, the search for the new 007 is still underway, with many names being floated online, such as Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge), Henry Golding (G.I. Joe Origins: Snake Eyes), Tom Holland (Spider-Man: No Way Home), Theo James (The Monkey), and Henry Cavill (Man of Steel).
Meanwhile, a separate James Bond reboot has already been revealed, including the actor who has slipped into the tux and picked up the PPK.
“007 First Light” might be a video game, but the third-person action-adventure from IO Interactive (the developers behind the popular Hitman series) marks Bond’s return to mainstream gaming in over a decade.
The actor portraying the iconic MI6 agent is Irish actor Patrick Gibson, who’s currently best known for playing the title role in the Paramount+ series Dexter: Original Sin (2024).
Watch the trailer for “007 First Light” below:
Now, in a new video from the PC Gaming Show, key members from IO Interactive have shed even more light on the third-person action-adventure, particularly where gameplay and the reimagined character of James Bond himself is concerned:
Related: Meet the New James Bond in the Upcoming ‘007’ Reboot
“007 First Light” draws inspiration from Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels, however, IO Interactive aim to please fans of both the books and the films.
Audio & Missions Director Dominic Vega promises that the characters and locations in the upcoming Bond game — which they describe as a standalone entry — “are going to make the fans of the movies and the fans of the novels and the cinematic history really smile.”
In describing 007 himself, Narrative & Cinematic Director Martin Emborg says, “It was very important to us early on that we didn’t want to synthesize Bond. We didn’t want to go in and cherry-pick qualities from different aspects of stories or whatever.”
He continues: “We wanted to make something that was fully original. So he’s young, he’s someone who doesn’t yet know all the things we know about James Bond. He has all the core qualities. so he’s irreverent, he’s inherently charming, he’s funny, but he’s not yet cold, he’s not callous. He’s more energetic; he has that impatience of youth built into him.”
Related: ‘James Bond’ Reboot Unveils New 007 Team and Lead Actor, Replaces Daniel Craig Lineup
But just because we’re getting a more compassionate and less seasoned 007, that doesn’t mean IO Interactive is prepared to water down the violence and the action.
Not only does the game feature plenty of gun-toting action as revealed in the trailer, but players can also expect physical, hand-to-hand combat.
“I think it’s safe to say that we’re dialing the action to twelve on this one,” Emborg explains. “We wanted a physical Bond, we wanted fighting to be visceral and brutal and violent and super-fun and exciting. So we’ve spent a great amount of energy on making a system of free-flow combat where you’re fighting multiple opponents at once. You can grab them and punch them and throw them into each other using the environment.”
“007 First Light is a thrilling narrative action-adventure game developed and published by IO Interactive,” the official synopsis reads. “Follow James Bond as a young, resourceful, and sometimes reckless recruit in MI6’s training program, and discover an origin story of the world’s most famous spy.
The game will be released on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows sometime in 2026.
Are you excited about playing “007 First Light”? Let us know in the comments!