The creators of the Hitman series have honed their style of- open-ended and spectacle-driven sandboxes across several games, and now they're taking their signature immersive gameplay to the world of James Bond. With 007 First Light, developer IO Interactive is crafting an origin story for the globetrotting British spy, showing how he undertook daring missions at the start of his career to eventually become the world's most infamous agent.
Before the reveal at The Game Awards of 007 First Light's newest villain, played by Lenny Kravitz, we had an early look at the latest bits of plot for James Bond's origin story as a superspy. We also spoke with cinematic and narrative director Martin Emborg about the main inspirations for the game, how Bond's origin taps into decades of lore, and why a good spy story is timeless.
"What I think is kind of baked into doing an origin story for a character like James Bond, is that everyone knows the character and who he's going to become," Emborg said. "But how does he become this character? I think that's an exciting challenge from a storytelling perspective."
IO Interactive's James Bond is young and inexperienced. (IO Interactive)
While some Bond films and novels have touched upon the early years of the iconic character, 007 First Light will be the first attempt at an actual, modernized origin story. As a twenty-something new MI6 recruit, this James Bond, portrayed by Patrick Gibson, is inexperienced and brash, which can result in some operations going off the rails. He still possesses a certain cunning, and near-supernatural levels of charisma and resourcefulness. This presents a solid archetype for the game’s open-ended missions where players will explore tightly designed worlds with a multitude of tasks and objectives to handle – however the players see fit.
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While IO Interactive's Hitman series taps into the spy experience, what really separates James Bond from Agent 47 is that he's a far more social character. The social element will play a big part in how players can find ways to distract, or even outright bluff through charisma to sneak into areas.. Emborg explained that James Bond's resourcefulness also makes him a compelling character for a video game, especially one that is all about player agency.
007 First Light will take players to several locations, including Slovakia and what appears to be Vietnam. (IO Interactive)
"Bond is a competent character,” Emborg said. “We want to give the player the opportunities to have that agency to say, 'Oh, I'm gonna talk to that guy,' or, 'I'm gonna go and punch that guy,’ or, ‘I can probably crawl up into a tight space to sneak in.' Having that sense of agency is pivotal if you want to deliver a full Bond experience. Obviously, the social aspect of that is important; to embed yourself and infiltrate socially is a big part of that Bond experience."
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