Developer IO Interactive and CEO Hakan Abrak announced that the company is delaying its reimagined James Bond origin game 007 First Light.
In a post to social media, IO Interactive announced, “Today, we are sharing an update regarding 007 First Light, as we have decided to move the game’s release by two months, to the 27th of May 2026.”
As for why it is delaying the game’s release, Abrak explained, “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.”
Additionally, he shared, “The game is progressing well and is fully playable from beginning to end, so these additional two months will allow us to further polish and refine the experience, ensuring we deliver the strongest possible version at launch.”
When the game was first announced back in June IO Interactive’s Senior Communication Manager Yann Roskell shared why the company chose to tell the story of a younger James Bond, which the company is now openly marketing as a “re-imagined origin story.”
Roskell explained, “007: First Light devs chose an origin story in part because it allowed for a ‘more relatable’ Bond for the potentially ‘younger audience’ than might turn out for the films.”
Additionally, 007 Franchise Director Jonathan Lacaille shared that James Bond will not be the James Bond people know, “We have a story to tell that people are probably very curious to find out. What are the events and the people that shaped the character [James Bond] is today? Was he always the womanizer that he is, or the strong man that he is?”
“There's a lot of youth in him, so maybe some recklessness at times,” he added. “And he has a lot of charm, but he doesn't know how to use it yet. He's maybe not as efficient as a [later] Bond would be.”
Furthermore, he made it clear that one of the goals of reimaging Bond and doing an origin story was to target “a younger audience, maybe, than the Bond franchise is used to.”
Finally, he also shared that by not adapting any of Ian Fleming’s novels or any of the films it gives the team freedom to do what they want. He explained that the game “is not an adaptation or anything […] but that's what will allow us to make a great game, because then we have a lot of freedom that will fit with the gameplay mechanic.”
In September following a gameplay reveal and cast details, numerous potential players savaged the game.
Others concurred. One wrote, “I don’t care about a chin or whatever, they just look ugly. Really bad character models.”
Another posted, “I don’t think they could have made them uglier if they tried.”
“Thats a non-buy-nary too! Ugly as heck,” wrote another.
On the official cast reveal post from IO Interactive, numerous people criticized it. One wrote, “I’m a huge Bond fan, but unfortunately I’m not feeling this so far. Has way too many ‘modern audience’ tropes. Just wanted a simple solid Bond game, high action, hot girls, fast cars, crazy villains and high stakes. Save the world, get the girl. Doesnt feel like Bond at all.”
Another questioned, “Taking Bond out, why do the rest of the characters seem to be taken from the Middle East, instead of being from Great Britain?”
Another echoed, “Why is James the only British person?”
“No Bond, Just DEI slop where parking a car is a mission,” wrote one.
Another stated, “Woke slop. How could you not know by now that this race flipping s**t just kills the studios?”
“Bond always featured beautiful women. That’s missing here,” said one.
Psst! It’ll be trash! Pass it on!
More like James Bond Jr. He doesn't even look close to Fleming's illustration of Bond.