Iceland
The cold open. A Royal Navy operation and a downed helicopter — the heroics that put Bond on MI6's radar.
007 First Light Story
How a reckless 26-year-old becomes the world's most famous secret agent — and why this version of Bond has never been told before.
The premise
007 First Light tells an original James Bond origin story — the moment, only ever glimpsed at the start of 2006's Casino Royale, when Bond earns his 00 status and his licence to kill. Crucially, this is not an adaptation. It's not the Fleming novel, not the films, and not Anthony Horowitz's prequel books. IO Interactive built a brand-new, "completely beginning and becoming" narrative with the blessing of EON Productions and Amazon MGM Studios.
Who is this Bond?
This is a 26-year-old James Bond: brilliant, reckless and unproven. He lost his parents at age eleven on a climbing expedition, then rabble-roused his way through a string of boarding schools before landing in the Royal Navy. MI6 picks him up after a heroic act during a mission in Iceland — and pushes him into situations that test not just his skills, but his judgment and resolve.
The studio leaned into a rare opening: it had been nearly 14 years since the last Bond game, and with no live-action 007 currently cast, IO Interactive was free to define its own canon. CEO Hakan Abrak has confirmed plans for a trilogy, so audiences can watch this Bond grow across multiple games.
The threat
Standing against him is Bawma, the game's antagonist, played by musician and actor Lenny Kravitz. Bond is mentored through MI6 by veteran agent John Greenway (Lennie James) and crosses paths with DGSE operative Charlotte Roth and game-theory expert Dr. Selina Tan.
"Earn the number."The mission that defines First Light
The sound of a new Bond
Composer The Flight blends cinematic orchestral scoring with modern electronic textures. In a clever narrative touch, the classic John Barry Bond themes appear only as Bond "earns" them through the story. Lana Del Rey performs the title theme, "First Light," produced by longtime Bond composer David Arnold.
The Theatre of Operations
Where it all happens
First Light takes Bond from frozen seas to grand European architecture. Confirmed locations include:
London
A Kensington mission of rooftop chases and a glittering museum gala, where charm and disguise matter as much as fists.
Malta
Sun-bleached ruins serving as an MI6 training ground, patrolled by soldiers — the proving grounds.
The Carpathians
The Grand Carpathian Hotel in Slovakia's High Tatra mountains, host to a high-stakes global chess tournament.
The story begins
Be there for chapter one.
007 First Light launches May 27, 2026. Claim early access and start the origin a day early.