LogInSapienza was chosen to showcase IO Interactive's vision.
As part of the PlayStation's State of Play event, IO Interactive unveiled lots of footage from its upcoming James Bond game, 007 First Light, and officially confirmed that Patrick Gibson will portray the iconic British spy.
Fans had been speculating for months, noting the character model's strong resemblance to Gibson, and now it's official. 007 First Light is shaping up to be a curiously distinctive entry in the Bond video game franchise, focusing on an origin story and casting a non-mainstream lead actor, marking a notable departure from past titles that typically featured popular faces. However, the way IO Interactive secured the rights for this direction might surprise you.
In a recent conversation with IGN, IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak revealed that developers put the head of the most recent James Bond, Daniel Craig, onto Hitman's Agent 47's torso and placed him into the World of Assassination as a test.
"We actually did put Daniel Craig in there. We just modeled his head and put it in instead of Agent 47, just for demo purposes, giving an impression of what these living, breathing spaces mean in an IO game. And if you are acquainted with the franchise, there is a level called Sapienza with the virus in the caves underneath the compound. So we showed some things off there and, yeah, it was well received", said Abrak.
Abrak believes the demo was a success because the license holders resonated with IO Interactive's vision of a full Bond experience that goes beyond shooting and cutscenes to include social situations where he uses charm, bluffing, and strategy instead of violence.
He noted that since IO Interactive has only created original worlds and characters until now, it was important for the studio to bring its own creative vision to the James Bond project. They weren't interested in simply adapting a film or focusing purely on technical visuals, like rendering Pierce Brosnan, or recreating specific scenes in-game.
007 First Light launches on May 27, 2026, for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Switch 2. Read the original article here and join our 80 Level Talent platform and our new Discord server, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, TikTok, and Threads, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.