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Dying Light: The Beast
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007 First Light is “not a reskin” of Hitman, IO Interactive says again, and the team brought in “amazing fresh talent” including devs with “specific driving expertise” to help build car missions

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007: First Light

007 First Light director says IOI “set a challenge” for itself to create “the best weapon-handling we have done to date” because, unlike Hitman, ranged combat isn’t a last resort

Jordan Gerblick

18 September 2025

“Even if you try to stealth and things go wrong, you will just handle the situation slightly different”

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(Image credit: IO Interactive)

007 First Light is pretty new territory for Hitman developer IO Interactive (IOI), as long-range combat is no longer a “last resort” for players; seeing as they’re assuming the role of James flippin’ Bond, shooting guns is a core component of the game.

Talking to our pals over at PC Gamer for their latest print issue, 007 First Light gameplay director Andreas Krogh touched on this very key distinction between this game and the series IOI has become known for.
“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.”

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007 First Light is “not a reskin” of Hitman, IO Interactive says again, and the team brought in “amazing fresh talent” including devs with “specific driving expertise” to help build car missions

For the Hitman devs, 007: First Light felt like “coming home” because James Bond has been an “inspiration” for so long

“Don’t make him a killing machine!”: Hitman developer IO Interactive got the James Bond gig because its games are more about creativity and stealth than shooting

Krogh said he and his team “set a challenge” for themselves “to create the best weapon-handling we have done to date.

“First and foremost, we wanted to create a great system both mechanically and technically, but we also wanted it to feel fluid and responsive.”
For the uninitiated, in Hitman, if you’re spotted trespassing, you’re pretty much donezo because the guards then actively pursue you, and the odds are massively stacked against you. Bond is no stranger to stealth missions either, but when push comes to shove, he’s a little more trigger happy than Agent 47.
“The aim is that even if you try to stealth and things go wrong, you will just handle the situation slightly different than what you set out to do, but you will still have a very satisfying experience shooting your way through,” said Krogh.

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IOI has put effort into distancing 007 First Light from the Hitman series, saying over the summer that its take on a James Bond game isn’t exactly an Uncharted game, but also isn’t a reskinned Hitman game.
007 First Light devs went through “all the source material” to create their James Bond and really nail his “Bondliness,” but without doing “a retelling”

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Jordan Gerblick

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After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar’s west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I’m responsible for managing the site’s western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I’m too afraid to finish.

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007 First Light is “not a reskin” of Hitman, IO Interactive says again, and the team brought in “amazing fresh talent” including devs with “specific driving expertise” to help build car missions

For the Hitman devs, 007: First Light felt like “coming home” because James Bond has been an “inspiration” for so long

“Don’t make him a killing machine!”: Hitman developer IO Interactive got the James Bond gig because its games are more about creativity and stealth than shooting

“Everyone knows GoldenEye, it’s a legendary game”: 007 First Light boss says his goal is to make an all-timer James Bond game, even if the result is “very different” to Hitman

“We actually did put Daniel Craig in there”: Hitman developers secured the 007 First Light license by modelling James Bond’s face onto Agent 47’s body

007 First Light is more than just Hitman: James Bond edition, and I’m over any fears I might have had that IO couldn’t deliver

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