IO Interactive has revealed the release date for upcoming James Bond adventure 007 First Light, as well as giving us a glimpse at what we can expect from the spy's next major gaming outing.
As revealed during a PlayStation State of Play presentation yesterday, 007 First Light will launch on March 27th. Despite the format in which the release date was revealed, the game will be coming to other platforms outside of PlayStation as well.
Over on the official IO Interactive website, the studio gives a rundown of what the presentation showed off regarding its next game, including the motion-capture stars of the title, its core gameplay pillars, and more.
First up, the cast members. Bond himself will be portrayed by Irish actor Patrick Gibson, who played a young Dexter in the recent Paramount Plus show Dexter: Original Sin.
He's joined by Lennie James, best known as Morgan in The Walking Dead, as Greenway, as well as Priyanga Burford's M, Kiera Lester's Moneypenny, and Alastair Mackenzie's Q. Rounding out the cast is Noemie Nakai's Miss Roth, who may well be filling the typical "Bond girl" role.
As for core gameplay pillars, 007 First Light will revolve around four distinct systems: Spycraft, Instinct, Gadgets, and Combat. Spycraft is, as you might expect, the stealth system in 007 First Light, and it'll be crucial for Bond in terms of eavesdropping on conversations, gathering information, and remaining incognito.
Bond's Instinct mechanic will allow him to "turn the tide in any situation"; it'll give him the chance to bluff his way out of tense situations, lure enemies towards certain places, or sharpen his focus for combat.
The final two pillars, Gadgets and Combat, rather speak for themselves; the former will see Bond equipped with a range of classic 007-style tools, while the latter hopefully means that messing up stealth won't feel too much like failure in 007 First Light.
If you're wondering exactly what 007 First Light is, it's a James Bond game from IO Interactive, the folks behind the Hitman series. First officially revealed in June, the game has been gestating since at least 2020.
You'll be able to check out 007 First Light on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2 on March 27th next year. Stay tuned for more.
