007: First Light Developer Wants Bond’s Gadgets to Feel Like “More Than Just Gimmicks”

Being a James Bond game, IO Interactive’s upcoming 007: First Light has a slate of gadgets that players will be able to use. In an interview with PC Gamer magazine (via GamesRadar), gameplay director Andreas Krogh has acknowledged that the in-game gadgets need to be “more than just gimmicks”.

“We wanted each gadget to feel practical, grounded, but fun and replayable to fit as many areas as possible,” Krogh said. “We also wanted them to feel distinct from each other, both visually and practically, so each has its own purpose. All in all, they should give the player a broad list of tools to fit [their] playstyle.”

While James Bond has traditionally been a series of stories about a spy who can make the best of any given situation, since the release of 1964’s Goldfinger, the franchise has seen the super spy make use of several fantastical gadgets. The title will feature a variety of appropriately James Bond-esque gadgets, from a watch that can shoot a laser to stun enemies or trigger environmental interactions (dropping a chandelier, for example) to a smoke bomb that helps with stealth.

There will also likely be gadgets that allow Bond to initiate epic firefights in particularly clever ways. In the same interview, Krogh had also spoken about how combat isn’t just going to feel like a throwaway gameplay system that players want to avoid like in the Hitman games. Rather, he spoke about how much emphasis was placed on making combat gameplay feel good, since it isn’t a last resort.

“In Hitman we viewed ranged combat as a last resort for most players, which made it fairly hard and for most players something they wanted to avoid,” said Krogh. “This time around, we have a character that invites ranged combat to be a viable option.”

IO Interactive instead wants players to try stealth while not writing off the potential for combat encounters altogether. Through this, the studio hopes to offer different gameplay experiences based on how the player decides to approach any given situation.

“First and foremost, we wanted to create a great system both mechanically and technically, but we also wanted it to feel fluid and responsive,” explained Krogh. “The aim is that even if you try to stealth and things go wrong, you will just handle the situation slightly differently than what you set out to do, but you will still have a very satisfying experience shooting your way through.”

To aid with offering these varying gameplay experiences, art director Rasmus Poulsen had mentioned earlier this month that 007: First Light will feature some of the biggest missions that IO Interactive has ever made. “I would say some of the missions in the game are the largest we’ve done in our history in terms of measurements,” said Poulsen.

007: First Light is being developed for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and will launch on March 27, 2026.