Following the shock announcement that Milla Jovovich is becoming a member of Hitman: World of Assassination and Gemma Chan’s upcoming flip as Selina Tan in 007 First Light, the complete power within the room modified when Lenny Kravitz stepped onto the stage at IO Interactive’s showcase. This was recent off the reveal of his swaggering new character, the pirate king Bawma, within the subsequent James Bond journey.
IOI desires to redefine how gamers hook up with the Bond mythos in 2025 and past. Throughout our dialog, Senior Licensing Producer Theuns Smit made one factor clear: Kravitz didn’t simply be part of the world; they constructed a part of it round him.
“Kravitz really understood the character of Bawma from the very beginning,” Smit explained. “He could carry that sense of charisma, but also be the kind of antagonist where you don’t really know where you stand with him. He’s mercurial. He demands respect and fear.”
A bold soundscape
According to Smit, the four-time Grammy winner and star of the original Hunger Games films brings such commanding presence and effortless charisma that he slips into the role as if it were written for him, instantly feeling like he belongs in Bond’s pantheon of unforgettable villains. And while Smit wouldn’t reveal just how central Bawma is to the plot, he did promise players will face plenty of “twists and turns” and urged them to experience the journey themselves.
Given Kravitz’s musical legacy and the long history of iconic Bond themes, I had to ask the obvious question: Will First Light get its own original theme song? The last time a Bond game did was back in 2010 with Joss Stone’s “I’ll Take It All” for James Bond 007: Blood Stone, and before that Mya lent her voice to the 2004 EA title James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing. Smit wouldn’t spill any secrets, but he did stress just how central music is to the overall vision for the game.
“We’re really working on elevating the full experience,” said Smit. “Games are often praised for visuals, but sound is what immerses you. We’re working with extremely talented musicians and sound designers to bring that level of musicality into the experience.”
He didn’t confirm whether a signature theme is coming, but the way he emphasized “full experience” suggests something significant is happening behind the scenes. And with an artist like Kravitz already in the building, the possibilities feel wide open.
Channeling momentum as a design cornerstone
Unlike previous games featuring the iconic MI6 agent, 007: First Light isn’t a film tie-in but an original IOI take that stars Patrick Gibson (Shadow and Bone & Dexter: Original Sin) as a mid-20s Bond looking to get 00 status as a young MI6 agent.
As Smit puts it, “a third-person, story-driven action-adventure game” designed from the ground up to introduce an all-new Bond in an origin story. From early previews, the game is definitely taking cues from Bond’s past gaming incarnations alongside IO’s ongoing Hitman series and more set-piece-driven action that’ll remind many of Sony’s Uncharted sequence.
That framing permits IOI to create its personal cadence for Bond whereas nonetheless respecting the a long time of storytelling that got here earlier than.
“If you happen to’re a fan, you’re going to see nods and winks to the journey and the franchise,” Smit mentioned. “However we’re additionally targeted on bringing a brand new and thrilling reimagined origin story into that area.”
And in contrast to many earlier Bond video games, which leaned closely on capturing or stealth, First Gentle channels momentum as a design cornerstone.
“When issues escalate right into a firefight, Bond is improvisational,” Smit defined. “He grabs what’s round him like throwing objects, kicking a shotgun up off the bottom, grabbing it mid-air, firing till it’s empty, then throwing the gun at somebody and shutting the hole. It’s all the time ahead drive, ahead motion.”
That kinetic really feel was showcased within the early Slovakia mission demo: a vehicular chase in an Aston Martin, an airfield pursuit, and Bond doing what Bond does: staying in movement.
Elevated realism
Working with a global icon like Bond means there are rules. There’s real history spread across various media outside of film, such as the Ian Fleming books that inspired the franchise. There’s a tone that fans expect. But Smit says the collaboration with Amazon MGM provides IOI room to construct.
“It’s about doing justice to the IP and staying true to the lore, the characters, the world,” Smit shared. “However it’s additionally about bringing one thing new to that area.”
That steadiness might be seen in how First Gentle approaches devices, one of many pillars of the Bond identification. “We’re providing you with the complete 360 Bond expertise,” Smit mentioned earlier than alluding to a possible hub-like space between missions. “You possibly can go to Q Lab. You possibly can stroll as much as Q. He’s a enjoyable character in our sport, and he’s the mind behind all of the devices.”
That philosophy formed the workforce’s method to “elevated realism,” the place grounded, on a regular basis objects are reimagined as instruments of the commerce: a cellphone turns into a “darkish cellphone” that fires off a blinding flash to disorient enemies, a lighter ejects smoke pellets for fast escapes, and a watch strap hides a laser able to slicing open doorways or disarming foes. “It’s all about linking devices to on a regular basis stuff you wouldn’t anticipate,” Smit added, “however elevated into that Bond fantasy.”
Although IOI could also be identified for finely tuned stealth motion gameplay, car sequences are comparatively new territory for the studio. Contemplating this signature a part of Bond’s identification, that was a non-negotiable.
“Typically the story prompts a car second,” Smit mentioned. “We wished to honor that. It’s one thing new to us, however you anticipate it from James Bond, so we put it in.”
IOI is heading in the right direction to rebuild the Bond universe with new stars, new histories, and new threats. First Gentle appears like the beginning of an period formed by daring decisions, unforgettable personalities, and dynamic gameplay. Search for the sport to drop on March 27, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Sequence S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.
The perfect gaming consoles
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