The new James Bond video game is a new challenge for IO Interactive, according to its CEO: “It’s a lot of pressure”
007: First Light will show the beginnings of a young James Bond.
One of this summer’s surprise titles was 007: First Light. After years of mystery, IO Interactive finally revealed details about the project formerly known as Project 007, providing a first glimpse of the new James Bond. And it’s not only relevant for being the return of the world’s most famous spy to video games, but also because it’s the closest we’ll see to a new installment of the franchise in general, considering that Amazon MGM Studios’ next movie will still be a long time coming.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hakan Abrak, CEO of IO Interactive, spoke about the challenges and responsibility of working with such an iconic intellectual property: “Bond is a very cherished and important IP, and a lot of people have grown up with that,” he says. “It does mean a lot to a lot of people.”
What’s behind the new Bond
The most interesting aspect of 007: First Light is the version of the character: a young and inexperienced James Bond. While this is not the first time this stage of the character has been explored in other media, it is within the world of video games. This version moves away from the elegant and lethal agent we all know, presenting someone more impulsive and in training.
“He is not a completely perfectly cut diamond from day one. He’s not a Bond that is completely on top of his game yet, he’s not very well versed in the tuxedos and martinis yet,” Abrak says. “It’s something that he is being introduced to, this rough world of espionage.”
“There have been so many different interpretations, there’s been so many different Bonds, and they have been keeping the IP attractive and relevant for 60-plus years,” he adds. “They all came with different things to the table, they all were relevant to their time, geopolitical, cultural things that we’ve been through the years, so they all had impact … It’s a lot of pressure making something that’s not just going to be mushy or forgettable. It’s something where you need to take some chances. It’s something where you need to make a bet for actually creating emotions in people.”
007 First Light will be released in 2026, at a date yet to be defined. For the time being, Abrak mentions that “there’s a lot of trust and belief in that, and obviously you don’t want to let them down. You want to make sure that trust, that belief, is delivered upon.”
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