007 First Light: Patrick Gibson named the new James Bond in IO Interactive’s origin-story game

James Bond has a new face in games, and it’s official. IO Interactive says Patrick Gibson will embody the world’s most famous spy in a fresh origin story that rewrites the playbook rather than borrowing a face from the films. The reveal landed during PlayStation’s State of Play with a meaty look at stealth, melee, gunplay, and a few very Bond set pieces—yes, there’s a mid-air ejection and a countryside car chase—plus a locked-in date: March 27, 2026.

The studio behind the modern Hitman trilogy is pitching a clean break with the movie timeline and a full performance capture for Bond, not just a voice. That’s a big shift for the license. Instead of chasing a film tie-in, IO is building its own mythology around a younger, rough-edged recruit still figuring out how to be 007. The story aims to show how the audacious trainee becomes MI6’s most valuable asset, and where that famous calm under pressure actually comes from.

A younger Bond, a new face

Gibson, whose name had been whispered by fans since the summer teaser, now steps into his first video game role as both the physical model and voice for Bond. He’s been busy on television—recently fronting Dexter: Original Sin—and his age and look line up with the pitch here: young, resourceful, sharp, and sometimes reckless. IO’s approach is broader than a celebrity cameo; it’s about consistency. The actor you hear is the one you see moving, fighting, and reacting in every scene.

The supporting cast points to a character-first take on the Bond universe. Priyanga Burford voices M with the authority you’d expect from MI6’s chief. Alastair Mackenzie brings a dry wit to Q, whose gadgets lean more practical than sci-fi in the footage shown. Kiera Lester picks up Miss Moneypenny, while Lennie James appears as Bond’s mentor, John Greenway—an inspired choice if you’ve seen how James can shift from warmth to steel in a heartbeat. There’s also Noemie Nakai as Miss Roth, a name with no easy Bond reference, which suggests IO is happy to build out its own rogues, allies, and double-crosses.

The main villain is a twist on the usual Bond setup. Instead of a cartoonish mastermind, the antagonist is “009,” a former MI6 agent gone dark. We don’t know the why or the how of their break with the service, or whether 009 is one person or a codename that changes hands. That choice opens the door to a story about loyalty, tradecraft, and the costs of the job—topics that fit an origin arc better than a plot about doomsday tech.

IO says it studied the source material at length and made a conscious break from any single on-screen Bond. Early in development, the team even mocked up Daniel Craig’s likeness on Agent 47 to pitch the concept internally, before deciding to build their own version from scratch. That shift matters. It gives the studio room to shape tone and character without worrying about film canon. It also frees them to cast actors who fit this specific story rather than chase a movie face.

Gameplay: stealth, style, and speed

The demo footage paints a clear picture: third-person action with a stealth spine. Bond stalks, scouts, and improvises. He probes guard routes and camera arcs, creates distraction chains, and uses non-lethals like sleeping darts when the mission calls for a quiet exit. When things go loud, the transition looks seamless—pistols, carbines, and quick, close-quarters takedowns that keep you flowing rather than pausing for a stance change.

A standout mechanic is the so-called “License to Kill.” In the reel, it triggers when escalation tips into lethal force, letting you bring firearms into play without breaking momentum. Think of it as a green light to finish the job when your cover is blown or the stakes turn deadly. Used sparingly, it keeps combat from feeling like a last resort; it becomes part of a rhythm where stealth and aggression feed each other.

Gadgets skew tactile and plausible. Matches for short, smoky distractions. Sleeping darts for clean, reversible neutralizations. No laser watches or invisible cars in what we’ve seen—at least not yet. The tone leans grounded but stylish, with IO’s signature love of tools that have more than one use. A match is a timer, a flare for a camera, a lure. That sort of design invites tinkering and repeat runs.

Movement looks nimble. Bond is quick on vaults and ledges, slides into cover without fuss, and finishes foes with compact strikes that don’t overstay their welcome. The melee reads like it was built to be chained with a gunshot or a gadget toss, rather than a separate mini-game. Add in the driving: heavy, camera-rattling power slides on narrow roads, weighty collisions, and a few blink-and-you-miss-it shortcuts that suggest there’s more than one racing line through a chase.

IO’s Hitman DNA shows up in the structure. The studio is known for systemic sandboxes—levels that behave like little ecosystems where logic wins and improvisation pays. The Bond footage hints at a hybrid: authored set pieces stitched to spaces with room to breathe, scout, and plan. That’s a good fit for a spy story. A clean, silent infiltration on one run; a messy, kinetic escape on the next. The fantasy is not just “be Bond,” but “solve this problem like Bond would, with the tools at hand.”

Even the training arc folds into that idea. The story starts with Bond as a recruit, which makes every early mission a lesson in tradecraft. Expect the game to teach through scenarios rather than tutorials—briefs that nudge you to try a gadget, then throw a curveball that forces you to rethink the plan. When the narrative flips into high-stakes operations, you’ve already built habits the story can test and break.

Set-piece teases carried plenty of Bond flavor. The mid-flight ejection is a statement: you will be thrown into situations you can’t control, and you’ll have to manage the freefall—literally. The rural chase, meanwhile, isn’t about glossy supercars on tourist-postcard boulevards; it’s dirt, ditches, and blind corners. That contrast—precision spycraft and rough-and-ready scrapping—is part of the character’s charm, and it’s present throughout the showcase.

The casting of M, Q, and Moneypenny signals that HQ scenes will matter, too. Briefings, debriefs, and the push-pull between risk and restraint give Bond stories their tension. With Lennie James as a mentor figure, those conversations could have teeth. You want a young spy who’s a little too sure of himself in the field, then has to defend those choices under a hard stare in London.

All of it sits under IO’s umbrella of full performance capture. Gibson’s likeness and movements are the throughline. That matters for a protagonist who wins and loses with his body language as much as his one-liners. If the team nails the small stuff—how he checks a corridor, how he reloads under stress—you feel the character, not just the mission checklist.

On the tech side, IO is deploying its in-house tools to support big spaces and detailed character work. The result in the showcase was clean: sharp materials, readable lighting for sneaking, and responsive animation blends when the plan shifts. No flashy claims about resolution modes or ray tracing were made on stage; the emphasis was squarely on play feel and cinematic readability.

Crucially, the team is positioning this as the first chapter in a longer arc. IO called it the potential start of a trilogy, which raises the stakes on choices made in this opener. If Bond burns a contact here, that could echo into the sequel. If 009’s motives aren’t fully resolved, the thread can carry forward. A trilogy frame also gives room for the kind of escalation the films often rush: small, personal conflicts that grow into bigger operations.

The platform list is broad: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Pro, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, and Xbox Series X/S. That’s a big sandbox to ship into, and a sign that IO wants a wide audience from day one. Pre-orders are live, and early buyers get an upgrade to the Deluxe Edition at no extra cost. IO didn’t break down what that Deluxe bump includes during the show, but the studio has previously used deluxe tiers for cosmetic packs, extra contracts, or soundtrack art bundles in other games.

Bond games carry a unique kind of baggage. The highs are legendary—GoldenEye became a social event as much as a shooter—while the lows show how fast a licensed concept can wilt without a strong design core. The last decade has been quiet for 007 on consoles, with the odd remaster or cameo but not much in the way of a full, modern take. That’s why this announcement hit. It’s not just a comeback; it’s a reset that tries to answer what a Bond game should be now.

Starting with a young agent is a smart call. It clears out continuity debates and unlocks a steady progression from raw talent to polished pro. It also lets IO turn the “learning curve” of a new player into an in-story arc for Bond. When you fumble a stealth route in the opening hours, that’s not just you messing up; that’s Bond collecting scars he’ll use later.

There’s still a long list of unknowns. How open are the levels? Will missions support multiple entrances, disguises, or social stealth in the way IO perfected with Hitman, or will they lean on tighter corridors and scripted beats? How far does the “License to Kill” mechanic go—does it change mission scoring or story reactions, or is it purely a combat state? And what happens when you lean heavily on lethal approaches in an origin story that’s about earning trust inside MI6?

The 009 thread is the biggest mystery. Making the antagonist a former agent sets up a mirror: someone who knows the manuals, the tricks, the habits. It’s an antagonist who can recognize your tells and punish them. If IO pays that off, it gives Bond something he’s rarely had in games—a rival who thinks like he does, not just a bigger gun with an evil plan.

What’s clear is the intent. IO wants to build a Bond who lives on your stick and in your head. The tone is cool but not glib, grounded but not joyless. The moves are clean. The gadgets ask you to be clever. The cars look like they can take a beating. And the cast gives MI6 a face you can believe in when the mission goes sideways.

Mark the calendar: March 27, 2026. That’s when we find out if this younger Bond can carry a new era for the license. If the debut lands, you’ll be hearing the same name a lot over the next few years: Patrick Gibson, as James Bond in 007 First Light.