In a little more than two months, we'll be able to jump into IO Interactive's latest major game, 007 First Light. The storied Hitman developer taking on a James Bond story felt like a match made in heaven when it was first revealed all the way back in 2020. As we wait to find out if we were right about IO and James Bond being as good as peanut butter and chocolate, IO Interactive has just released a new deep-dive into the game, with the studio focusing in on its version of Bond and the cast of classic 007 characters.
In the studio's latest 'Beyond the Light' episode, which dives into different elements of the game in a behind-the-scenes fashion, speaking to members of the development team and, in the case of today's episode, the game's cast, we heard more about how IO Interactive approached telling an origin story for one of the world's most iconic characters across literature and film.
Part of that approach, cinematic and narrative director Martin Emborg explains, has everything to do with the cast of characters that surround Bond. "Doing an origin story for something like Bond, it's a really interesting challenge, taking the core qualities of the character that people know and love, obviously, for 60-plus years," Emborg says.
"But then, how did he get there? How did he become this guy that's suave and knows everything? What's the journey to go there? And hopefully, the journey and where he comes from, to some extent, should surprise, or at least intrigue people, so that he isn't just stepping through the door and going, 'Well, let's get started.' There's a journey, there's a character arc that he needs to go through."
One element that Emborg digs into is how much more chatty IO's version of Bond is in 007 First Light. Part of that, Emborg says, is the fact that this story is being told through a video game. Players are with Bond all the time, and as we move through the levels, it's fairly standard video game fare to have your protagonist make the odd comment about everything that's going on. The other element IO wanted to get across though is that it also comes from Bond being a young upstart in 007 First Light.
And then there are other character changes IO has made, like how Moneypenny is much more involved as a field analyst, rather than someone who makes her moves in the background while Bond is off on his espionage escapades.
"What is very different in terms of difference from books and movies is that in our version, Moneypenny is a field analyst, so she's going to be in his earpiece. So you get a lot more time with Moneypenny, you get a lot more conversation between her and Bond. Traditionally, Bond is a man of very few words. In our version, he speaks a lot more, which is partly because he's a young guy but also partly to do with the medium. We're not cutting to the next set piece; you're with him. You're entering the building with him, and so you're going to be part of a lot of back and forth, a lot of conversation, and a lot of perspectives. Sometimes quite fun - I mean, it's always more fun to jump out of a window if you're being told not to."
Emborg also explains how the rest of the cast around Bond, like Q and Greenway, both established agents who've moved on to different areas of MI6, and how Bond picks up different qualities of who they are as people and agents that ultimately make up the James Bond we know and love.
It's very interesting to hear how IO approached telling this story, not just because Bond is such an iconic figure, but also because this is IO's first time branching out to tell a story like this. Sure, the studio has told espionage-related stories before, but nothing that belongs to a major license and franchise like this before.
The reverence and understanding shown in this behind-the-scenes look should provide long-time Bond fans with a great deal of confidence that we'll get a stellar Bond story when 007 First Light arrives on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S this coming May 27, 2026.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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