7 Years in the Making and $200 Million: Budget and Development Details of 007 First Light Revealed

This week saw the release of one of the most prominent projects of 2026 so far - 007 First Light. The game was developed by IO Interactive, the developers of the Hitman series, but this did not prevent them from creating a game focused primarily on action rather than stealth. As a result, the game has already sold 1.5 million copies.

The game continues to be in huge demand on all platforms; for example, in the past 24 hours, another record for concurrent players on Steam was broken, surpassing more than 70,000 active users. In turn, the Danish portal DR revealed some details about the development of 007 First Light. In particular, it is noted that IO Interactive spent 7 years developing the game, and its budget is about $200 million (1.3 billion kroner)—which is not only the most expensive project of the studio, despite the entire Hitman trilogy ($180 million), but also the most expensive project ever created in Denmark.

Danish public broadcaster: 007 First Light cost $200 million dollars (1.3 billion kroner), 7 years to make

Reported by the Danish Broadcasting Corporation/DR:

The game has been seven years in the making and has cost a staggering amount of 1.3 billion kroner to develop. (Spillet har været syv år undervejs og har kostet et svimlende beløb på 1,3 milliarder kroner at udvikle.)

The statement is at the beginning of the article and isn't attributed to a particular source. Also doesn't mention if the number includes marketing costs.

https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/kultur/du-sidder-ikke-i-en-biograf-i-20-timer-nyt-james-bond-spil-viser-hvor-meget-det-kraever-lave-det

EDIT: I also found this from Denmark's TV 2, which is publicly owned but commercially funded. It also quotes the 1.3 billion kroner figure, and says the game is much more expensive than any other game or entertainment made in Denmark. https://nyheder.tv2.dk/tech/2026-05-21-dansk-firma-laver-rekorddyrt-james-bond-spil

IO Interactive is expected to continue supporting 007 First Light, primarily thanks to the TacSim mode, but the studio is also working on its mysterious online game Project Fantasy, as well as a new Hitman title - even though the game has not yet been officially announced.

007 First Light is now available on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5—the version for Nintendo Switch 2 will be available later in 2026.