Just a day before the release of 007 First Light, developer IO Interactive has released a brand new teaser video on social media. The video gives us yet another glimpse of the in-game depiction of Vietnam, along with the reveal that 007 First Light will feature an appearance by well-known TikTok influencer Khaby Lame.
It is currently unknown whether Lame will play a larger role in the game or if his appearance will be limited to the one comedic moment showcased in the teaser video. The studio has noted that it worked “closely” with the influencer to scan him and design his outfits. It has also encouraged players to share screenshots of their encounters with him.
“You will meet a familiar face in Vietnam,” wrote IO Interactive on social media. “Khaby Lame joins the cast of 007 First Light and is part of a globetrotting adventure as James Bond sets out to #EarnTheNumber.” In a follow-up post, the studio wrote, “We worked closely with Khaby to get him scanned and design his outfit for this re-imagined origin story!”
Interestingly, this has drawn questions about why IO Interactive would want to spoil Lame’s appearance in the game rather than leaving it in as a fun surprise for players to find. Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad has noted that this is an attempt by the studio to boost pre-order sales ahead of the game’s launch. He said that pre-orders for the game weren’t doing well, and that the studio wants to further boost awareness about the title through teasers like this, since its “old school marketing campaign” hasn’t been helping.
“Opening sales aren’t tracking well [at the moment] so they’re trying to market it in unique ways,” he wrote. “They’ve run an old school marketing campaign so far that wasn’t getting much traction outside of people who grew up with Bond.”
When asked about whether the marketing for 007 First Light has run the risk of “over exposing” the game to its primary audience, Ahmad said that the studio is aiming for a wider player base than simply existing fans of the James Bond or Hitman franchises. Drawing comparison with other games, he noted that the interest is currently more in line with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle rather than Uncharted.
“Among an existing Bond / Hitman / [single-player] action adventure base, yes. I’m sure it’ll do fine overall, but current interest is more in line with Bethesda’s Indiana Jones than an Uncharted [at the moment],” he wrote.
With advanced access to 007 First Light having officially been kicked off today, we have also seen reviews coming in for IO Interactive’s latest game. The title has been received quite positively by critics, with an aggregated Metacritic rating of 88 based on 51 reviews for the PS5 version. However, these ratings might change with more reviews going live over the coming days.
007 First Light is coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. IO Interactive had previously confirmed a Nintendo Switch 2 version, but has since delayed the port to later in the summer since it needed more time.
