007 First Light Dev Says Focusing on a Young James Bond Was Always the Plan

After a lengthy hiatus lasting over a decade, James Bond returns to video games with IO Interactive’s upcoming 007 First Light, a game that focuses on a younger version of Bond who is finding his feet and has yet to earn his 00 status. It’s an intriguing prospect and one that fans of the long-running franchise, as well as IOI fans in general, will be keeping a close eye on.

Game Rant recently caught up with IO Interactive franchise art director Rasmus Poulsen, who spoke about how 007 First Light has always had a younger James Bond at its core since its inception. He also discussed how the burden of expectation that comes with the 007 brand was used to the team’s advantage.

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New James Bond Game 007 First Light Revealed

Audiences finally get a first official look at the brand-new upcoming James Bond video game 007 First Light, with fresh details confirmed.

007 First Light Shows Off a New Side of James Bond

Almost every new iteration of James Bond tends to repeat the same pattern. The character is introduced as an already-established member of MI6, either approaching or at the peak of his physical and mental strength. This has been the case in Bond’s many forays into video games where he was usually modeled after the James Bond actor of the time like Pierce Brosnan in GoldenEye and 007: Everything or Nothing or Daniel Craig in 007 Blood Stone. Shifting the focus to a younger, unproven Bond opens up a world of new possibilities, and Poulsen explained that this was always the plan. He said,

”We knew from the get-go he was going to be young. We wanted him to be younger so that he would better match the experience of a younger audience playing the game. What does a tutorial look like with a game with a seasoned pro who knows everything about the spy world? Maybe there’s a chance there for some narrative dissonance that we don’t have with this younger guy, so that’s a really, really cool opportunity for us. Then, of course, it’s about working out how to best portray this spirited but maladjusted young man as he finds his way, and yeah, it’s been a lot of work in getting there.”

By going with a younger James Bond, IO Interactive is dodging the possible dissonance between a new player and a seasoned, veteran protagonist. They are also ducking the need for there to be a strong relationship between this game and past/modern/future James Bond actors. In return, they get a better-fitting narrative using the storytelling and world of 007 without concern for real-world baggage; as such, it’s something fresh for the franchise. But that doesn’t mean there still aren’t tons of expectations piled onto the project.

007 First Light Features IOI’s Version of Bond

The name of James Bond carries with it a fair amount of expectation from fans, and IO Interactive was all too aware of this when taking on the project. Instead of buckling under that pressure though, the developer used it as a source of motivation. They expect and want players to have opinions as they develop an origin story for Bond and put it out into the world. As Poulsen explained, “This is our version of Bond tailored specifically for this origin story that we’ve made for you guys, the players. That’s, of course, a huge undertaking and a huge responsibility. “It’s something that certainly weighed on our shoulders because we know that people will have opinions about it and that it’s going to be a contested space to enter in terms of what people are going to say about this guy.”

IO Interactive obviously took the challenge seriously, with Poulsen saying,

“We’ve really gone through the entire era of the IP and looked at both films and books to find out who this guy is at the core. What is his problem, what is he up against, what does he need?”

Poulsen made it clear just how much time and energy the team has devoted to understanding the character of James Bond. ‘With this level of dedication, fans can be sure that IO Interactive’s version of Bond will be a faithful but original representation of Ian Fleming’s famous spy when the game launches in 2026.