Following the success of 007 First Light, Amazon’s GM of gaming confirms that the company is going to be taking over publishing duties on future games, potentially icing out current developer/publisher IO Interactive. It’s been a welcome return to form for the Bond franchise with 007 First Light, as IO Interactive has seemingly proven that the studio has what it takes to lead the series forward.
The launch of 007 First Light has been a bright spot for developer IO Interactive, helping to push the entire James Bond franchise back into the spotlight after years of inconsistency. Part of the appeal is the infusion of the Hitman‘s franchise DNA into Bond’s latest adventure, with some levels in particular giving players the freedom to find various solutions to a problem, whether that be through direct combat, social engineering with NPC characters, or going full stealth to infiltrate restricted areas. However, First Light‘s success has also seemingly caught the attention of the new franchise overlord, Amazon.
007 First Light Criticized as ‘Woke’
Some players are criticizing 007: First Light as being ‘woke’ for one of its main supporting characters, despite significant precedent from the films.
Amazon Taking Control of Publishing Duties for Future Bond Games
Back in February 2025, Amazon announced it had acquired the rights to James Bond and the franchise as a whole, purchasing it from Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. While the duo would be retained as co-owners, the news gave Amazon controlling influence on the direction of the franchise. While fans naturally worried about potential changes to the future of the series, the acquisition came after a deal had been forged with IO Interactive to develop and publish a game then only known as Project 007. As fans now know, that codename eventually evolved into what is now 007 First Light.
Guess the games from the emojis.
Guess the games from the emojis.
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The gaming future of James Bond appears to be assured as 007 First Light pulled in positive reviews from critics and even sold 1.5 million copies in the first 24 hours, reaching the milestone faster than IOI’s Hitman games. That success has caught the attention of Amazon, who appears ready to jump in and take over. In a recent interview with Polygon, Jeff Gattis, who serves as the GM of gaming at Amazon, confirmed that when the company acquired the rights to the James Bond franchise, it didn’t include 007 First Light, as the deal happened prior and ultimately left IO Interactive in charge.
However, Gattis did say that future games and any potential First Light sequels will be handled by MGM and “theoretically, by Amazon Game Studios.” What that means exactly is up to interpretation, but it does appear that IO Interactive is getting pushed to the side, or at the very least, will be losing the level of control it enjoys now. It’s possible that IO could continue to be brought in to develop future games or a sequel and that Amazon Game Studios will only act as a publisher, or Amazon could opt to take things over completely and move away from IOI entirely. Only time will tell how Amazon aims to play this out, but so far, fans don’t seem to be in favor of this move.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
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Gettis went on to say that the company views the Bond franchise as a continued integration of video, movies, and games, in an effort to blur the lines even more between the mediums. Part of that strategy is already in play, as Amazon is currently working on a Tomb Raider series for Prime Video, which will also go hand in hand with both upcoming games, starting with Legacy of Atlantis early in 2027.
- Released
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May 27, 2026
- ESRB
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Teen / Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence, In-Game Purchases
