007 First Light has James Bond in good hands. When Hitman developer IO Interactive announced in 2020 that it was working on a game based on the British superspy, it already felt like the kind fan wish fulfilment of the kind where you ask 'if you could get any developer to make a game based on any franchise, what'd it be?'. For IO Interactive, it's been much the same, as the developer's staff are fans of Bond too, which has already bled into their work on Hitman.
"There’s always been a lot of love for James Bond at IOI – Just look at the very first Hitman game from 2000, where you’ll find a lot of winks and nods in Bond’s direction," says 007 First Light cinematics and narrative director, Martin Emborg. "I wasn’t at IOI back then, but when I look at the henchman 'Necros' from The Living Daylights for example, it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see Agent 47 at work."
