007 First Light, IO Interactive's James Bond game, is delayed 'to ensure the experience meets the level of quality you players deserve on day one'

(Image credit: Io Interactive)

007 First Light, IO Interactive's foray into the world of James Bond, has been delayed a little bit. Instead of launching on March 27 as planned, the studio has decided to give it a couple more months of work, and will release it on May 27 instead.

"007 First Light is our most ambitious project to date, and the team has been fully focused on delivering an unforgettable James Bond experience, bringing together breathtaking action, globe-trotting, spycraft, gadgets, car chases, and more," IO wrote in a message shared on X. "As an independent developer and publisher, this decision allows us to ensure the experience meets the level of quality you players deserve on day one."

007 First Light is our most ambitious project to date, and the taem has been fully focused on deliovering an unforgettable JKames Bond experience, bringing together breathtaking action, globe-trotting, spycraft, gadgets, car chases, and more. As an independent developer and publihser, this decision allows us to ensure the experience meets the level of quality you playres deserve on day one. — (Image credit: IO Interactive)

IO said the 007 First Light "is fully playable from beginning to end," so the additional time is all about polishing the game to ensure its "long-term success." And it's understandable that the studio would want to be extra-cautious about this one, because it represents a real creative risk: Bond is extremely familiar as a pop culture icon and that could potentially work against it because IO's take is almost a reboot, casting him as a "young, resourceful and sometimes reckless recruit in MI6's training program" who's given a shot at the famed Double-O program after a particularly impressive act of heroism.

IO Interactive's Hitman heritage is easy to spot, but there's also far more straight-up action than you'll get from the adventures of Agent 47: Gunfights, fistsfights, explosions, and—of course—gadgets. How it will all come together as a Bond game remains to be seen, but we do at least have our first Bond-esque villain, and it's Lenny Kravitz (and his abs): He's not exactly Donald Pleasance, but I do dig the drip.

Anyway, instead of being three months away, 007 First Light is now five months away—not a huge extra wait, but hopefully enough to ensure it's all Goldfinger and no Moonraker when it launches. (I said what I said, and I will not be taking questions.) IO said further updates on 007 First Light will be shared early in 2026.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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