State of Play Shines a Light on James Bond; First Light Gameplay Revealed
- IO Interactive’s 007: First Light shows a young, reckless Bond in stealth and action missions.
- Mix of Hitman-style infiltration, sabotage, and classic Bond gadgets.
- UK talent leads the voice cast; launches March 26, 2026.
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State of Play has given gamers their first proper look at 007: First Light, the upcoming James Bond title from IO Interactive (Hitman). Although there have been games made based on Bond before, IO Interactive are doing something a little different with First Light, by putting players in the sneaky shoes of MI6’s top agent in his early days.
The reveal trailer released in June this year portrayed this version of 007 as a reckless young agent with a perpetual smirk and artful face scar. Described as “a bullet without a target,” First Light will give players the chance to give the reckless and brash young agent the guidance he needs, which State of Play showcased in greater detail.
“Bond’s world is all about what’s seen, and what’s hidden beneath the surface,” said Game Director, Hakan Abrak. “But there’s more than meets the eye,” he added, before introducing a section that involved eavesdropping to get useful mission information.
The Name’s Seven, Agent Forty Seven
State of Play gave gamers a look at Bond infiltrating the fancy Kensington Gala, which involved hanging out at the bar to eavesdrop on a convenient conversation. After Bond hears that a woman is waiting for a reporter, he can then approach her and pretend to be that reporter, which in turn opens up access to previously restricted areas.
Although IO Interactive has promised a unique take on 007, the DNA from the studio’s signature game series is hard to ignore. From the way Bond moves through crowds to his stealthy takedowns, gamers might be forgiven for assuming he’d been trained by Agent 47.
This involves actions such as attracting the attention of guards and then slamming their heads into a wall to knock them out, or shooting special darts that can incapacitate a person by making them ill. There’s also the option to engage in fisticuffs if the otherwise suave Bond gets himself in a spot of bother, which does involve a pleasingly rough and tumble approach to brawling.
First Light isn’t tied directly into any existing films or books, but does share a lot of ideas with Ian Fleming’s original super spy. One such idea is a “Sabotage” option, which is a nice touch that ties into Bond’s resourcefulness; for example, he can break off door handles to keep guards out of a room he’s in. He also has access to a wide range of gadgets, such as a watch that scans the environment and fires a laser, courtesy of MI6 inventor, Q.
‘Ello ‘Ello, What’s All This Then?
James Bond is as British as Yorkshire pudding, and First Light leans heavily into this with a stacked cast of UK talent to represent 007’s colleagues. Q is portrayed by Alastair Mackenzie (Andor); Lennie James (The Walking Dead) is Bond’s mentor Greenway; Priyanga Burford (Before We Die) plays the head of MI6, M; Keira Lester (Ruby Speaking) is Moneypenny, and Bond himself is voiced by Patrick Gibson (Dexter: Original Sin).
Bond also wouldn’t be Bond without his terrible puns, and IO Interactive dutifully give the spy ample opportunities to narrate his own adventures, with such bon mots as “Hopefully this is a good time to drop in,” (as he drops through a skylight) and “Photography can be such a negative experience,” as he takes pictures. Oscar Wilde, he is not.
007 Gets The Spotlight in 2026
State of Play’s main focus was on an extended look at the first mission, which sees Bond investigate the castle grounds as he looks for 009, who has apparently gone rogue. 009 has appeared in previous Bond media but isn’t necessarily a villain, so it remains to be seen if he (or she) will turn out to be the Big Bad in First Light. Players will find out once the game launches on all major platforms on Mar. 26, 2026.
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