007 First Light dev confirms ‘there are distinct differences’ from the Hitman series and calls the Bond game ‘a clear succession of our skill set and our ambition’

• 007 First Light franchise art director Rasmus Poulsen says the game has “distinct differences” from IOI’s Hitman games
• The developer said the Bond game is “a clear succession of our skill set and our ambition”
• He also said the young James Bond route was a “massive opportunity” for the studio to play with the notion of what a modern 007 game can look like

IO Interactive has revealed more about 007 First Light, including the “distinct differences” between the Bond game and its Hitman series.

Speaking to TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom 2025, franchise art director Rasmus Poulsen discussed First Light‘s original coming-of-age story and how the game differentiates from the Hitman games the studio is so well known for.

“We saw online some of the notions that were rummaging around when it was announced that we were going to develop a 007 game. So it wasn’t, you know, a mystery to people,” Poulsen said. “And in that instance, it wasn’t really a mystery to us, either, because, of course, we’ve been inspired by transplant through the years for our earlier games. And in that sense, it was a clear succession of our skill set and our ambition, actually, in terms of how it’s different.”