Before 007 First Light launched, Amazon struck a deal with long-time James Bond custodians Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson to take over the franchise. The future of Bond under new leadership is the topic of intense debate, but where does IO Interactive factor into the equation? In my recent chat with IO Interactive, senior licensing producer Theuns Smit offers some more clarity on the situation.
If you've been out of the loop, there is some context to be aware of for 007 First Light. IO Interactive's CEO, Hakan Abrak, had told The Game Business that the studio has a "great relationship" with Amazon. He adds that "we are all about quality and to stand by what we do. And I think Amazon is in the same place. There's no doubt that we all want to see how this is doing."
On the back of that, Amazon's head of gaming, Jeff Gattis, said to IGN, "I did not confirm that Amazon Game Studios is publishing the next one. Did not say that. So unfortunately, it got picked up, and once it runs, it runs. No, IO's been great. They've been great partners." With around three million copies of the upcoming Switch game sold, Gattis simply says that it "seems like a sequel should be made."
Speaking with Smit last week, he echoes what IO Interactive's CEO said previously. "What our CEO, Hakan [Abrak], was sharing as well, you know, is that things are generally going great between us and our partners […] we have our direct kind of line on the Prime Video side of Amazon, and the folks that we're working with there, they're generally just as happy and excited with the reception and the [game's] success."
I ask Smit whether he has any reassuring words to offer James Bond fans around the world, given how confusing the last few weeks have been.
"We'll come forward with more official announcements when we're ready for communication on the finer details of stuff […] things are going well, they're in a good spot […] they're happy for having seen this handled so well by a studio like IO Interactive, and bringing it to life. There's a lot of love out there for the game, and for the characters and the story, it's just quite celebratory to be honest," Smit adds.
Although there's no word on whether a First Light sequel is happening, there is plenty to look forward to post-launch. If you're curious about that, you can check out my other discussion with Smit about the 007 First Light Switch port and what lies ahead in the game's roadmap.