IO Interactive’s debut 007 First Light trailer casts Bond as a dangerous loose cannon

IO Interactive showed off the debut trailer for its James Bond game, 007 First Light, during Sony’s State of Play on Wednesday, with a brief outline of the Bond prequel’s story and IOI’s take on the series’ action. The 007 First Light trailer reveal follows IO’s announcement of the James Bond game’s name a few days prior, and comes ahead of the studio’s planned gameplay reveal as part of Summer Game Fest 2025.

“In 007 First Light, follow James Bond as a young, resourceful, and sometimes reckless recruit in MI6’s training program, and discover an origin story of the world’s most famous spy,“ First Light’s official description reads.

IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak said in a brief blurb following the trailer that First Light takes place during Bond’s transition from a career in the Royal Navy to his first spy job, as he takes on a mission big enough to earn him “00” status. Bond’s supervisors called him a “bullet without a gun” who needs a job before he gets into trouble, so they task him with tracking down 009 — though, what methods he uses in the process depend on your preference.

The trailer shows Bond traveling to a swanky hotel in the mountains, a nightclub, and a business convention, among other locales, in a blend of Hitman-style stealth and the kind of explosion-laden action that often characterizes James Bond movie setpieces. Bond can sneak up on guards and dispatch them quietly, start gunfights, blow up a warehouse as a distraction, use charm and creative truth-telling to get out of tight situations or a combination of all that, depending on what you think is best in a given moment.

“With 25 years of experience in creating captivating action-adventure games with the Hitman franchise, our studio has been energized with this monumental opportunity in harnessing that expertise in bringing 007 back to video games,” said Abrak said in a press release. “We’re pouring our energy and passion for the franchise into creating a cinematic adventure that pushes the boundaries of what a James Bond game can be, while telling a fresh, new story. We can’t wait for players and fans to discover an experience tailor-made for them.”

IO Interactive plans to release 007 First Light in 2026 for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.