James Bond comes out of video game retirement with 007: First Light, coming soon from IO Interactive, the acclaimed Danish studio renowned for its work on the Hitman series. Securing the rights to such an iconic franchise was no small feat, and as it turns out, the studio employed some creative methods that boiled down to making a super-spy Frankenstein with Agent 47 and Daniel Craig.
In an interview with IGN, IOI CEO and First Light game director Hakan Abrak said the process involved showcasing a unique in-game demonstration that merged elements of Hitman with the essence of Bond.
“We actually did put Daniel Craig in there,” Abrak revealed. “We just modeled his head and put it in instead of Agent 47, just for demo purposes, giving an impression of what these living, breathing spaces mean in an IO game.” This demo took place within the well-known Hitman level Sapienza, specifically the section involving a hidden virus laboratory beneath the coastal town.
Since Craig stepped out of the role in 2021’s No Time To Die, casting the new James Bond was an equally significant milestone for the project. In 007: First Light, Irish actor Patrick Gibson steps into the role, portraying a younger, more formative version of the MI6 agent. At just 30 years old–and playing Bond at the age of 26–Gibson is the youngest actor to take on the part to date.
“The way that works is less about looking for who becomes our Bond, who can shoulder this young version of the character? And I think working with big names is a different exercise,” explained narrative director Martin Emborg. “It’s not finding the character as much as saying, ‘Oh, wouldn’t it be cool if so-and-so were Bond?’ I don’t think that was super attractive at any point, actually.”
This isn’t the first time Daniel Craig’s likeness has played a key role in bridging cinematic Bond with the gaming world. In the 2010 GoldenEye remake for the Nintendo GameCube, Craig’s face was used to update the original 1997 Nintendo 64 classic with a more modern Bond aesthetic, replacing Pierce Brosnan’s version of the character.
007: First Light is scheduled to be released on March 27, 2026. Preorders are available now, including a deluxe edition that comes with a golden gun.
