‘We now own the IP’: 007 First Light sequels could face new villain as Amazon Gaming says it might publish future Bond games | Tech Radar
Overview
News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
Details
Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards.
Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.
‘We now own the IP’: 007 First Light sequels could face new villain as Amazon Gaming says it might publish future Bond games
Amazon now owns the Bond IP and will publish any future projects
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
IO Interactive won't self-publish any future 007 First Light sequels
Amazon Game Studios will handle publishing now that Amazon owns the Bond IP
Amazon Gaming general manager Jeff Gattis says sequels will be "done by MGM and, theoretically, by Amazon Game Studios."
Amazon Gaming has confirmed that Amazon Game Studios will handle the publishing of any future 007 First Light sequels.
007 First Light has been a roaring success for IO Interactive, selling 1.5 million copies in its first 24 hours, a milestone reached faster than any of the studio's Hitman games.
Sequels are a high possibility at this point, but according to Amazon Gaming general manager Jeff Gattis, IO Interactive won't self-publish them.
"We did not [make First Light]," Gattis told Polygon. "We do have a stake in it because we now own the IP, but that IP acquisition happened after the First Light IO deal was already done."
The GM explained that while Amazon "didn't have the full rights to this First Light James Bond game," sequels will be "done by MGM and, theoretically, by Amazon Game Studios."
007 First Light review: a stunning stealth action game fit for the silver screen
I haven’t played a Bond game since Goldeneye on the N64 — but 007 First Light could finally change that
007 First Light’s Bond gets creative in ways that would make Agent 47 smile
IOI began developing 007 First Light when the Bond franchise was under the control of MGM and EON Productions; however, Amazon acquired MGM in 2021, one year after First Light was announced.
Amazon and MGM still collaborated with IOI after the acquisition, but now the company will have a more central role in potential sequels.
Fans reacting to the news are worried for the future of IOI's Bond games, with one fan on Reddit saying that it sounds like Amazon "might be implying that the sequel will be made without IO Interactive, if so, Amazon is making a big mistake."
Another wrote, "Hopefully they're not that foolish. IOI and Bond are a match made in heaven. I've barely started First Light and it's been great so far. This could be a scenario where Amazon wants to publish the game but could retain IOI as the development studio, but I doubt that. IOI self-publishes these days, so they might want to keep it that way, but it might be good to hand some risk over to a different publisher."
There's a big distinction between publishing and developing a game, so it's important to note that it sounds like IO Interactive will still be the ones making Bond games, while Amazon Game Studios will be financing them, which could mean the latter will have more input into the projects.
007 First Light's combat designer tells us what makes a classic Bond brawl
007 First Light dev explains the game's unique 'license to kill' mechanic
The Nintendo Switch 2 version of 007 First Light has been delayed until 'later this summer'
Gattis went on to say that Amazon is eager to expand into games so it can synergize alongside its TV shows and films, something it could do with IO Interactive games and the company's next James Bond movie, currently in the works.
"We think that's a real opportunity for us to create IP that extends — or kind of expands upon — TV shows and movies," Gattis said. "So there'll be a Tomb Raider TV show on Prime Video that'll go alongside the games. There's a lot of things we have in the works on new games that'll relate to Prime Video IP."
Amelia Schwanke, Tech Radar's Senior Editor UK, Home Entertainment, rated 007 First Light four stars in her review, calling it an " original blockbuster Bond story" that is "the closest a game has ever come to making me feel like I’m starring in a Bond film."
"IO Interactive takes the stealth sandbox of Hitman, the intense thrills of Uncharted, and experimental spycraft of Batman: Arkham, and reshapes them into a globe-trotting cinematic spy thriller filled with covert missions, explosive action, and cool gadgets," Schwanke said. "While the immersiveness of the campaign occasionally lags, this stylish origin story still feels like a triumphant return for the most iconic secret agent."
Follow Tech Radar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
➡️ Read our full guide to the best gaming consoles
- Best overall: Play Station 5 Slim
- Best budget: Xbox Series S
- Best handheld: Nintendo Switch 2
- Most powerful: Play Station 5 Pro
Demi is a freelance games journalist who helps cover gaming news at Tech Radar. She's been a games writer for five years and has written for outlets such as Game Spot, NME, and Games Radar, covering news, features, and reviews. Outside of writing, she plays a lot of RPGs and talks far too much about Star Wars on X.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
1 Best monitors of Computex 2026: top new displays you need to know about
2I played four hours of Ace Combat 8, and now I feel like a real fighter pilot
3 When might Toy Story 5 be released on Disney+? Here's what we predict
4 Ring has been collecting visitor's facial biometrics without consent, class action lawsuit alleges
5 Air Pods Pro 3 just dropped to a record-low price at Amazon — but you may want to hold off buying for now
Tech Radar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.
Key Takeaways
- News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
- Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
- Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards
- Unlock instant access to exclusive member features
- Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards
