Inside the 7-year mission to reinvent James Bond with a new original story

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It’s been five years since Daniel Craig finished his run as James Bond in No Time to Die, and while fans are eagerly anticipating the next chapter, a new era for 007 has actually already begun.

As a Bond fan, I’ve been waiting ages for a new game! It’s been over a decade since ‘007 Legends,’ and honestly, that one really missed the mark. Everyone, including me, thought it just didn’t feel like a Bond game. So, there’s a lot riding on ‘007 First Light’ to finally get it right!

After more than ten years without a new James Bond game, and considering how popular the Bond franchise is, whoever took on the challenge of making the next one faced incredibly high expectations.

And yet, in Danish studio IO Interactive, Bond appears to have found his perfect match.

Hakan Abrak, CEO of IOI and director of 007 First Light, explained to TopMob Gaming that they hadn’t previously considered developing a game based on an existing license. It was a new direction for the company.

For the last 26 years, IOI has been most famous for the Hitman series, a collection of stealth games starring the assassin Agent 47. Though Agent 47 and the protagonist of their new game have very different values, they share key similarities, which IOI cleverly used to their advantage.

Hakan explained that the project began when someone outside the company reached out to see if we’d be interested in discussing a potential collaboration with MGM and Eon Productions regarding James Bond.

We’ve received many similar requests since then, but this one felt different and caught our attention.

I’m hearing a lot of people say this feels like the perfect pairing, and honestly, we totally believed we could create an amazing James Bond game. We really felt like we had something special on our hands.

Although IOI and Bond worked very closely together, Hakan explains that the development process wasn’t as straightforward as people might think.

This isn’t simply a makeover of the Hitman game. It’s a brand new story and world. Agent 47 from Hitman is a flawed character, while James Bond is a traditional hero – they have very different personalities and offer players a different kind of experience.

We really had to think through the core concepts from the beginning. We asked ourselves fundamental questions like: what defines Hitman, what defines Bond, and how do those two characters compare?

Honestly, you can just feel how passionate Hakan is about this project. He told me right away it felt different from anything they’d done before – like a real statement of who they are as a team. It’s clear he really believes in it.

Like any game based on existing material, there were certain expectations to meet. However, for the developers at IOI, it was crucial that this Bond game felt distinctly like a game they made, rather than just a straightforward recreation of the Bond story.

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We were determined to make this game uniquely our own. Earning the trust of the Bond creators was crucial, as we wanted to build a completely original story and offer a fresh take on the Bond universe in gaming – something never seen before.

One of the first things we quickly put together was a level from the Hitman game – Sapenza. We digitally placed Daniel Craig’s head onto the Hitman character and explored a few different ways to present it.

A key element of what makes IOI games special is the freedom they offer. It’s not just about direct combat; players can achieve their goals through disguise, stealth, solving puzzles, and cleverly manipulating the game’s artificial intelligence.

Showing that really helped them trust that we could create a James Bond film that went beyond just action and explored other aspects of his character.

Creating a James Bond video game is particularly difficult, even compared to other licensed titles, because the Bond universe is so vast and complex.

Ian Fleming created a huge world with his twelve James Bond novels and two collections of short stories, and that world has grown even larger with 25 movies. It’s a lot to take in – where do you even start exploring it? What stories are the most important, and how do you decide what to read or watch first?

Hakan explained that they analyzed how the core elements of the franchise evolved across both different films and different eras. He highlighted the IP’s remarkable ability to successfully refresh itself and appeal to new generations of audiences.

We’ve been trying to understand what core elements hold things together and what lasting qualities ensure something remains compelling and central over many years and through different generations.

Creating a 007 adaptation is heavily focused on capturing the classic Bond feel, and IOI did incorporate some of those well-known elements.

The character of Bond in IOI’s game, like in the original Ian Fleming novels, has a facial scar. The developers are aiming to strike a balance between staying true to the source material and adding their own creative ideas, hoping to offer a fresh experience for both longtime Bond enthusiasts and gamers.

Working with such a famous character like James Bond is a big responsibility. While IO Interactive is used to challenges, the expectations for a Bond game are particularly high – maybe higher than ever before.

A successful Bond film requires more than just a plot, location, actors, and acting – everything must genuinely capture the essence of the Bond experience.

It’s normal for there to be a lot of expectation and scrutiny with each new Hitman game. We always anticipate comparisons to the previous installment – it’s just part of the development process.

Given the extensive history of such a major franchise, and recognizing this is the first time we’ve worked with someone else’s intellectual property, we’ve approached this project with a great deal of care and responsibility.

We approached this project as if it were our own creation. We’re experienced in protecting our own intellectual property, and with Hitman, we deliberately avoid certain possibilities to maintain the franchise’s established identity and quality.

We understand how much people love James Bond, and because of that, we approached this project with a strong sense of responsibility. We wanted to create something that would delight fans and honor the character, rather than disappoint them.

007 First Light is out now on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Authors

Alex RaisbeckGaming writer

Alex Raisbeck writes about video games for TopMob, covering both big-name titles and smaller independent games. He’s also contributed to well-known gaming publications like VideoGamer, GamesRadar+, PC Gamer, and PCGamesN.

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2026-05-27 17:38