The James Bond franchise spent 14 years completely absent from the AAA video game industry after Activision lost its development license. That drought ended on May 27 when IO Interactive and Delphi Interactive launched 007 First Light for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The $69.99 release is drawing widespread critical acclaim, outperforming recent heavyweights like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, according to The Guardian.
The $100 million project secured an 88 Top Critic Average and a 97 percent recommendation rating on the Epic Games Store. Forbes explicitly positioned the IO Interactive release as the new gold standard for licensed IP in a May 31 review. Critics highlighted the expansive interior level design and fluid combat system as primary reasons for the high review scores.
The narrative frames an origin story for a 26-year-old, inexperienced James Bond, voiced by Patrick Gibson. Surviving an SAS helicopter crash in Iceland, Bond operates under a new M, played by Priyanga Burford, and his mentor Greenway, portrayed by Lennie James. The central plot follows Bond attempting to stop a global conspiracy orchestrated by AI pioneer Sir Nicholas Webb, who intends to replace the British government with a rogue AI system named HYPERION.
In a direct contrast to the game’s villain, IO Interactive instituted a strict internal ban on using generative AI during the game’s development. The studio instead built the title by upgrading its proprietary Glacier engine with NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 tech. The visual direction leans heavily on the color-grading style of Roger Deakins’s cinematography from the film Skyfall.
Gameplay encourages players to alternate between stealth, gadget use, and direct force. A core mechanical loop allows Bond to throw an empty weapon at an enemy’s face, initiate a takedown, and immediately steal their loaded firearm to continue shooting without reloading. Bond also utilizes a specialized Q-Watch to fire nonlethal shots, trigger remote explosives, and slow down time to survey active battlefields.
The studio prioritized authentic luxury brand integration throughout the campaign. Bond interacts with an Aston Martin Valhalla, an Omega Seamaster Diver 300M watch, and Leica camera optics. The game’s score comes from The Flight, featuring modern electronic collaborations with Chase & Status and Dimitri Vegas. A Nintendo Switch 2 port is scheduled to release later in 2026.