007 First Light launches this week on PC and consoles, but if you were hoping to pre-load the game ahead of release so as to experience James Bond's new story as soon as it becomes available, and you are not getting the game on PlayStation 5, you will be disappointed to know you won't be able to do so.
"I unfortunately have to confirm that 007 First Light will not have a pre-load on Steam or Xbox," IO Interactive representative Arti_IOI wrote on the game's official subreddit. "The earliest point to download the game on Steam and Xbox will be tied to the official release time. PlayStation will be the only platform with pre-load, as it is mandatory on the platform."
Unfortunately, it is not clear why IO Interactive decided not to let players pre-load 007 First Light on Steam and Xbox systems, as no official reason has been given. However, given that major releases such as Forza Horizon 6 leaked shortly before release in the past few months, it wouldn't be surprising if piracy concerns are behind this decision.
No matter how justified it is, many of those who pre-ordered 007 First Light are unhappy about the lack of preload, especially given the game's roughly 80 GB size. "I understand you are just one person, and are not at all responsible for this decision. But please pass along that this is incredibly frustrating to be treated as a lesser platform in this way. It makes consumers feel undervalued," said user fishingforwoos.
"Considering you offered a 24 hour earlier launch window for those of us that bought the game early, you are now effectively telling us that despite that we will now have to wait for the 80gb game to download first, for some that can take hours if they have slow internet, so the 24 hours early launch is practically useless, very disappointing when you promised something and then don't fully deliver, at least give people a few hours head start. This isn't the way to treat loyal fans who have pre-ordered the game," said Sad_Ad_6414, echoing a sentiment shared by the vast majority of the community.
Although the launch experience may not be positive for those getting the game on PC and Xbox platforms, 007 First Light promises to deliver a technically sound experience, targeting 60 FPS everywhere except on Xbox Series S, due to its limited RAM and GPU headroom.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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