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007 First Light has proven to be one of 2026’s standout games and a commercial success for IO Interactive in an age where commercial success on AAA games is far less common than it used to be. The plan from the beginning from IO Interactive was for their young James Bond to star in multiple games, and the foundation seems to be in place for this to happen. Of course, a sequel hasn’t been announced, but it appears to be a foregone conclusion. There is a problem in the IO Interactive production pipeline though, that may mean we won’t see said sequel for a very long time.
It took IO Interactive approximately five years to make 007 First Light, assuming production started not long after the release of Hitman 3 in 2021. And this was the longest development cycle in the Danish studio’s history, which was shipping out Hitman games every 2-3 years prior to this. Looking ahead, there is Hitman Classic Trilogy Remastered coming in 2027, but this is being handled by Saber Interactive. This frees up IO Interactive to make a 007 First Light follow-up, right? Wrong. IO Interactive is working on Project Fantasy, which Xbox recently pulled out of; however, IO Interactive has promised it is 100% committed to the project still.
007 First Light Is Further Away Than You May Think
Project Fantasy’s development just got more complicated and is probably going to take longer now. Let’s assume it takes the same five years as 007 First Light took, though. This would put it out in 2031. Assuming it isn’t a massive smash hit that pulls IO Interactive to its development perpetually, then work on a 007 First Light sequel would begin around 2031. If the second game also takes five years, that puts it out in 2036. Now, a sequel is typically made quicker, but this actually hasn’t really been the case in modern game development. Even if it is made quicker, 007 First Light is still going to end up being a mid-2030s game.
If a third game is made, it could end up being a 2040s game. Unfortunately, this is the brutal reality of game development right now, which keeps getting more expensive and longer.
Of course, take all of this speculation with a grain of salt, but unless Project Fantasy ends up getting cancelled, it’s hard to see a 007 First Light sequel coming out in any reasonable amount of time. It’s certainly going to be a next-gen game, and at the very tail end of the next console generation at that.
All of that said, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think, or join the video game conversations over on the Forum.
007 First Light Reminds Me Of The Best Parts Of Hitman Games
