IO Interactive Explains How Hitman Shaped 007: First Light

IO Interactive and James Bond seemed like a natural match when Project 007 was first revealed in 2020. Now, with the game officially titled 007: First Light, the studio is finally talking about how it built its vision for a younger Bond and what makes the gameplay different from Agent 47’s world.

In a detailed conversation with VGC, IO Interactive’s franchise director, Jonathan Lacaill,e talked through the studio’s mindset for working with another company’s IP for the first time, how MGM and now Amazon handled collaboration, and what parts of the studio’s sandbox style are making it into the new game.

For IO, the decision to explore something outside of Hitman came after nearly two decades of refining their assassination sandbox formula. The team didn’t want to abandon Hitman, but there was a strong internal push to explore a new project in parallel. The team didn’t want to abandon Hitman, but there was a strong internal push to explore a new project in parallel. We previously reported that Hitman: Blood Money was just $0.99 —and it shows why 007 First Light has potential! Bond was a natural choice — not just because of its spy DNA, but because Bond was a direct inspiration for Hitman in its early days.

“We are very good at the spy fantasy,” Lacaille explained. “Bond has been an inspiration for Hitman in the early days, I won’t hide that.”

IO pitched MGM an idea for a Bond game at a time when the company hadn’t accepted a new game pitch in over a decade. But it was the Hitman-like approach that ultimately gave the studio a shot: large sandbox levels, multiple ways to approach problems, and the idea that a shooter doesn’t need constant gunfire to work.

“In Hitman, you shoot maybe once per level, or not at all, sometimes,” he said. “I think that opened the conversation at the very least.”

From there, IO and MGM moved into a collaborative working rhythm. According to Lacaille, they still have regular creative meetings with MGM, and the relationship has been far more engaged than what he expected when first joining the project. Even after Amazon took creative control from MGM earlier this year, little changed in their day-to-day relationship, since MGM remained the main point of contact.

IO was given the chance to craft a Bond origin story from scratch — something not seen before in games or film. That opportunity brought both freedom and responsibility, especially in how the character would be built and introduced to a younger gaming audience.

To ground this version of Bond, the team studied Ian Fleming’s original novels. Rather than drawing from one specific movie, IO took broad inspiration across the franchise. Everyone on the creative team had their own favorites — from Connery to Craig — and those influences found their way into small design choices. But the goal was always a clean slate.

“We’re really telling a whole new story, a new take on the origin story of Bond, and we’re doing it with the gaming medium in mind,” Lacaille said. “You’re engaging with him for hours, and you’re telling him what to do.”

Gameplay-wise, 007: First Light draws from Hitman, but doesn’t try to copy it. Agent 47’s methodical pacing and open-ended level design isn’t a perfect fit for a younger, less-experienced Bond. This version of Bond is a little reckless, forced to make fast decisions under pressure. As a result, the pacing is designed with more forward momentum, though it still includes moments of choice and strategy.

“There will be some of that DNA, but the game will be very different,” Lacaille explained. “If the other game is more methodical, this one will be more about making you think fast under pressure.”

IO describes 007: First Light as a blend of open and linear segments. When cinematic storytelling is key — such as big stunts or high-impact moments — the game narrows the player’s path. But when it makes sense to open the space up, it will. The studio wants players to replay missions to see how different decisions could have played out, echoing the appeal of Hitman’s branching pathways.

Another shared trait is gadget usage. Bond’s tools come from Q Lab and will support both passive and offensive gameplay. Some gadgets will let players bypass obstacles or gather information quietly. Others will provide an edge during combat encounters, such as triggering smoke screens or sabotaging enemy systems.

“You will have a wide array of gadgets… used in passive or offensive ways,” he said. “For more detail, you will have to wait for the gameplay reveal.”

The team is still quiet about the game’s live service elements, saying it’s too early to share specifics. Right now, development is focused on making the campaign strong and replayable. IO confirms there will be options and alternative paths within missions, but not in the same structure as Hitman’s Elusive Targets or contracts — at least not yet.

Speaking of Elusive Targets, a limited-time Le Chiffre mission recently ended in Hitman: World of Assassination. Whether that character appears again remains to be seen.

“It’s a secret that I have to keep,” Lacaille teased. “You will find out.”

As for the engine, 007: First Light runs on IO’s proprietary Glacier engine, which was used for the Hitman trilogy. That tech helped IO bring Hitman to Switch 2, and will power First Light natively on the new hardware. Lacaille called the Switch 2 “powerful enough” to handle the game without cloud streaming, a major change from the previous generation.

Performance issues on Hitman’s Switch 2 port were noted at launch, with players mentioning inconsistent framerates. IO says the team is working on those problems over the summer, and the experience is already informing their work on First Light.

Some tech systems had to be built from scratch. Driving and refined shooting weren’t central to the Hitman formula, so IO had to develop those systems early in 007: First Light’s production. Even the cover system and gadget integration required fresh code, as the Bond experience needed to feel different from IO’s previous games.

“We had to build shooting from scratch,” Lacaille said. “In Hitman, if you get to shoot, you kind of fail the mission.”

Despite the changes, the studio is still relying on the lessons and cost efficiencies learned from the Hitman franchise. While First Light isn’t as inexpensive to make as a potential Hitman 4 might have been, it benefits from IO’s established pipelines. At the same time, this new game demanded a heavy investment upfront, since it launches a new franchise and gameplay foundation.

For now, IO isn’t talking beyond First Light. The team’s focus is locked on shipping a polished single-player experience with a clear story. Discussions about where Bond could go next — or how Amazon may integrate it into a broader ecosystem — are on hold until the first game proves itself.

“There are a lot of expectations when you’re revisiting a game or a franchise that has not been active in the gaming world for a while,” Lacaille said. “So first things first — the game’s called First Light. So let’s do a good one.”

A full gameplay reveal is coming later this summer. Until then, IO’s careful fusion of classic Bond with modern game design is shaping up to be something that doesn’t just wear a tuxedo — it earns it.