Despite technically not being a live-service title, the team at IO Interactive have continued to keep HITMAN: World of Assassination feeling fresh with new and limited-time events. Following on from the likes of Slim Shady; Bruce Lee; Mila Jovovich and countless others, Agent 47 has now been tasked with taking out Snoop Dogg.

Making the surprise announcement during Gamescom Opening Night Live, IOI officially unveiled the next Elusive Target coming to HITMAN: World of Assassination – Snoop Dogg.

Going live later this week on the 27th of August, this new ‘Herbalist’ mission will have you try to take out Dr. Cyrus Cane, “an eccentric entrepreneur” who’s about to release a new product: Morsizzles cookies.

This latest Elusive Target mission arrives as part of a wider ‘Season of the Herbalist’ – set to bring in both new and returning content – as well as a paid Herbalist Pack (£6.99) adding more Snoop Dogg goodness.

For those who opt not to purchase the pack, you’ll still have the opportunity to eliminate Dr. Cain, with the mission sticking around for all until the 26th of September.

In case you missed it, IOI’s most recent game ‘007 First Light’ is also set to receive its own update, with Path Tracing and DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction going live on the 15th of September.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this latest Elusive Target? Should they make all past targets permanent? What are you expecting from the next HITMAN game, whenever it arrives? Let us know down below.

Today, IO Interactive and Amazon MGM Studios proudly announced that 007 First Light has surpassed 4 million units sold in its first three months on the market, which makes the action/adventure game one of 2026's fastest-selling premium titles. The press release highlights that the milestone proves the global excitement for 007 First Light. The game's remarkable success, both critically and commercially (especially with the upcoming launch on Nintendo Switch 2 still on the way later this year), highlights the franchise's lasting charm and the favorable response to the studio's ambitious goal of delivering a premium, original Bond experience to audiences […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/007-first-light-4-million-units-sold-fastest-selling/

007 First Light launched to wide critical acclaim back in May. Now a few months on from release, the game has reached a new sales milestone.

In a new update shared on X, IO Interactive confirmed that 007 First Light has now sold over 4 million copies worldwide across PC, Xbox Series X/S and PS5. This marks another strong milestone for the studio’s first major release outside of the Hitman franchise.

The game’s momentum may continue to grow in the coming weeks. As we reported recently, 007 First Light could be arriving on Nintendo Switch 2 consoles as early as September.

KitGuru Says: I really enjoyed my time with 007 First Light when it came out. If you are a fan of third-person action/adventure games, this one stands out to me as one of the best since Uncharted 4.

Amazon Japan may have revealed the new release date for 007 First Light on Switch 2. The game was originally planned to launch day‑and‑date with other platforms, but the Switch 2 version was delayed and has not yet received an official update.

As spotted by an eagle‑eyed fan on Reddit, new Amazon Japan listings now show 007 First Light arriving on Switch 2 in September. While retailers occasionally post placeholder dates, this listing includes full product details, suggesting the information may be based on updated distributor data. IO Interactive has not commented on the Switch 2 version’s status, so the date remains unofficial for now.

007 First Light launched on PC, Xbox Series X/S and PS5 back in May. The game quickly turned out to be one of the year’s standout releases, offering a quality action‑adventure that blends investigation work and puzzle solving with excellent action set pieces. IO Interactive’s new interpretation of Bond has been well received, setting the stage for future stories, although a sequel has not yet been confirmed.

With Amazon listings now pointing to a September release, Switch 2 owners may not have much longer to wait.

KitGuru Says: Gamescom is coming up in August, so there could be official confirmation of this very soon. If we start hearing rumours about a new Nintendo Direct in the coming weeks, I will now expect 007 First Light to be part of it. 

IO Interactive's 007 First Light was a resounding success, especially when it comes to the reception of critics and fans, and yet Jeff Gattis, the new general manager for Amazon Luna and Amazon Game Studios, had previously floated the idea that Amazon, as the holder of rights to James Bond's IP, could take the sequel away from the Danish developer. That did not sit well with the millions of players who enjoyed the action/adventure game. A few days later, Gattis clarified that nothing had been decided yet, and now, in a new interview with GamesIndustry, he has opened the door […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/amazon-007-first-light-sequel-io-interactive-james-bond/

Last week, IO Interactive announced that it was forced to cut some of its staff after Xbox abandoned funding for the Project Fantasy IP, first revealed over three years ago. Today, the developer has confirmed that it regained complete control of the intellectual property and the project, which it still wants to fund out of its own pockets. However, the downside is that the Istanbul studio, which opened in March 2023, will have to shutter. Following the end of our external finance partnership on Project Fantasy, IOI has regained full ownership of the project and our IP. We will continue to develop and […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/io-interactive-project-fantasy-funding-alone-xbox-bails-istanbul-office/

While IO Interactive are best known for their work on the HITMAN (and now 007) franchise, the team had been working for quite some years on an entirely new IP. Known simply as ‘Project Fantasy’ IOI’s next big gamble has unfortunately hit some roadblocks, with the title set to encounter lay-offs due to relationships with “an external partner” coming to an abrupt end.

IO Interactive’s Project Fantasy has been in development for years, with the mysterious title first being officially announced back in early 2023. While little was known about the project, it was confirmed to be an online-based fantasy RPG of sorts.

Though unsubstantiated, rumours did claim at the time that Project Fantasy was tied into Xbox in some way, with IOI simply stating back then “I don't think any word came out about any specifics about this, so we cannot comment on it.”

This of course all comes into play with the most recent announcement, in which IOI confirmed some less-than-stellar news for Project Fantasy, taking to Twitter to write:

“Today we have to share some more downbeat news. A relationship with an external partner on our own IP, Project Fantasy, has come to an end. This means we have to adapt to this new reality and its short-term consequences, including staffing decisions, which is what is happening as we write this update, and we are fully committed to supporting those affected through this challenging transition.”

IO Interactive continued, “Project Fantasy is a game, a world, and an IP that we absolutely love and remain 100% committed to, now and in the future. This wonderful universe will see the light of day.”

This news comes in the wake of recent reports claiming that Microsoft is moving away from working with 2nd/3rd party studios for Xbox, leading many to wonder whether this was what impacted Project Fantasy.

Regardless, IO Interactive seem to have a lot of faith in the product, and are determined to see it through to the end. Hopefully the team are able to fully realise Project Fantasy – and that it proves to be a success if/when it does eventually release.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this announcement? Have you been looking forward to Project Fantasy? Is this related to Xbox’s recent shake-up? Let us know your thoughts down below.

The rumored Xbox cuts are underway, with at least five first-party studios potentially closing: Double Fine, Compulsion Games, Ninja Theory, Undead Labs, and Arkane Lyon. But Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is also trimming Xbox's funding for third-party studios: today, they officially pulled out of funding Project Fantasy, IO Interactive's fantasy online action RPG announced in early 2023 and still largely under wraps, given that the Danish developer was busy making 007 First Light. IO Interactive revealed the news in a tweet, confirming that Xbox's decision inevitably forces the studio to lay off staff. However, they also made it clear that […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/xbox-funding-purge-io-interactive-rpg-kojima-od/

007 First Light is a very interesting PC release to analyze. On the one hand, IO Interactive’s latest game can look quite good in the right scenes, especially thanks to its strong lighting, high-quality character rendering, solid animation work, and cinematic presentation. On the other hand, it is also a rather frustrating PC port in several important ways, as most of its graphics settings barely scale, some of its temporal reconstruction options behave strangely, and the game can suffer from truly massive performance drops during large explosions. This guide should hopefully help you strike the best balance between visuals and […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/how-to/007-first-light-pc-performance-analysis-tuning-guide-how-to-get-best-experience-on-pc/

In the middle of making 007 First Light, developer IO Interactive suddenly found itself working with a different partner than the ones it had successfully pitched its James Bond game to. At the time, Amazon taking over the James Bond IP didn't mean much, as 007 First Light would still get made without issue or interference from the company. Now that the game is out, however, the question of a sequel has been muddier than expected, and Amazon Games general manager Jeff Gattis is trying to clear the air. Part of the concern and questions around a sequel are a […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/007-first-light-sequel-amazon-games-gm-clears-the-air/

After working for over a decade exclusively on the Hitman franchise, IO Interactive decided to branch out, recently launching 007: First Light. Early reception towards the title appears to be positive, and so too has its sales, with IOI revealing that over 1.5 million copies were sold within the first 24 hours.

Taking to BlueSky to make the announcement, the official 007 First Light page confirmed that 1.5 million copies were sold within its first 24 hours, writing:

“1.5 million copies sold! Thank you for showing up to the launch of 007 First Light, for your overwhelming enthusiasm and for sharing your experience with the game.”

As mentioned, 007 First Light has been met with a positive reception across the board, amassing an aggregate score of 87 on Metacritic and an 88 on OpenCritic. Players appear to be equally receptive to the new title, currently sitting at a ‘Very Positive’ on Steam across 6 and a half thousand reviews. PlayStation users meanwhile have given First Light 4.8/5 based on 5.8k reviews.

All in all, it seems like 007 First Light is both a critical and commercial success. It will be interesting to see how the discourse evolves as more people get their hands on the game and form their own opinions.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Have you played First Light? What do you think? Is it IO Interactive’s best game yet? Let us know your thoughts down below.

IO Interactive's first non-Hitman game in years is a smash success, as 007 First Light has officially sold 1.5 million copies in its first 24hrs after launch, the studio announced in a post on X (formerly Twitter) today, one day after its full release and two days after its early access release for deluxe edition owners. The last time IO Interactive developed and shipped a game that wasn't centered around Agent 47 was the last release in its long-dormant Kane & Lynch series, which saw its last release hit store shelves all the way back in 2010. Ever since, the […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/007-first-light-1-5-m-copies-sold-in-24hrs/

Colorful launches a limited edition RTX 5070 inspired by the 007 First Light following the game's official launch. Colorful Introduces iGame NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ultra OC 007 First Light Edition, Featuring Game-Inspired Design Just a day after the 007 First Light launched on Steam, popular hardware maker Colorful brought a new GPU inspired by the IO Interactive title. We usually see special editions inspired by new game launches, and this one is no different. Colorful says that it's a Limited Edition NVIDIA card, featuring visuals inspired by the new James Bond game, and has shared some details on it. […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/colorful-launches-igame-nvidia-geforce-rtx-5070-ultra-oc-12gb-x-007-first-light-edition/

It's been nearly 14 years since the last James Bond game, 007 Legends, was released by Eurocom and turned out to be a spectacular failure that also ended the British studio. Gaming fans of the most renowned fictional spy in the world had to wait two entire console generations before IO Interactive came with its 007 First Light. The long wait, however, has more than paid off. Whereas 007 Legends was a mediocre Call of Duty clone featuring a disjointed medley of levels inspired by films like Die Another Day, Goldfinger, Licence to Kill, Moonraker, and On Her Majesty's Secret […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/review/007-first-light-review/

IO Interactive has taken some big risks in recent years. The studio split off from Square Enix after the launch of Hitman (2016) to become an independent studio and after a couple of successful sequels, the team picked up the expensive James Bond license to produce their own original 007 game. The first reviews for 007 First Light have now dropped, so did the risk pay off? 

007 First Light is launching to very positive critic reviews. Currently on Metacritic, the game has an overall score of 88, based on 47 different reviews. Over on Open Critic, the score is a little better at 98 overall, based on 37 different reviews. As the game isn't out yet, we do not yet have a user score for the game, but those who pre-ordered will get access today, while everyone else will get the game tomorrow.

With these scores, 007 First Light becomes the highest-rated James Bond video game in decades. Critics have praised the game for its combat sequences, as well as its overall campaign, which stays true to the hallmarks of the James Bond IP, featuring levels spread all across the globe, massive spectacle moments and even a little bit of romance.

If the game becomes a sales success, then IO Interactive will be going ahead with sequels as it looks to make its own version of Bond as iconic as the versions we've seen on the silver screen.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Considering IO Interactive's experience with Hitman, I couldn't think of a more perfect studio to take on the task of bringing James Bond back to gaming. 

007 First Light launches this week on PC and consoles, but if you were hoping to pre-load the game ahead of release so as to experience James Bond's new story as soon as it becomes available, and you are not getting the game on PlayStation 5, you will be disappointed to know you won't be able to do so. "I unfortunately have to confirm that 007 First Light will not have a pre-load on Steam or Xbox," IO Interactive representative Arti_IOI wrote on the game's official subreddit. "The earliest point to download the game on Steam and Xbox will be […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/007-first-light-skips-pre-load-steam-xbox-playstation-5-only/

IO Interactive revealed on the official PlayStation Blog that their soon-to-be-released James Bond origin story game 007 First Light will launch with the new PSSR 2.0 algorithm on PlayStation 5 Pro. On other console platforms, the studio is using AMD FSR 3.1.5, but PSSR 2.0 offers significant visual improvements on the PS5 Pro hardware. Henrik Schlichter, Technical Director at IO Interactive, said in a statement: Upgraded PSSR gave us a meaningful jump in image quality across the board — cleaner, more stable, and noticeably sharper on the kind of fine detail that’s hardest to get right. It’s a clear upgrade […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/007-first-light-ps5-pro-pssr-2-0-fsr-3-1/

Team Green is giving away one of its most popular high-end RTX 50 series GPUs, coupled with the upcoming IO Interactive title. NVIDIA Hosts Giveaway for 007 First Light-Inspired Custom RTX 5080 Founders Edition Apart from bundling games with the GPUs, NVIDIA also organizes GPU giveaways occasionally. The company has therefore started a promotion for one of its high-end custom RTX 50 series GPUs on Twitter, allowing fans to enter the competition to win the GPU. The company announced that it's the first prize, which could mean more giveaways could be coming soon. The winner of this giveaway will win […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/nvidia-announces-custom-rtx-5080-founders-edition-and-007-first-light-bundle-giveaway/

Nvidia has partnered with IO Interactive to bundle the upcoming 007 First Light with qualifying GeForce RTX 50-series graphics cards. For the first time, the game bundle extends further down the product stack, including RTX 5060 Ti graphics cards. Some previous bundles in the current generation have only applied to RTX 5070 and up. 

The offer applies to desktop GeForce RTX 5060 Ti graphics cards and higher, including both the 8GB and 16GB variants. For the mobile segment, the promotion starts with the GeForce RTX 5060 laptop GPU. Previously, Nvidia game bundles for the current generation typically began at the RTX 5070 tier.

007 First Light is currently listed for pre-order at $69.99 on Steam and is scheduled for release on May 27th. The game will support Nvidia-exclusive technologies at launch, including DLSS 4.5 and Frame Generation.

The promotion is already underway and will continue through June 10th, 2026, at 11:59 PM PST. Customers who purchase a qualifying GPU during this window will be eligible to receive a digital code that must be redeemed via GeForce Experience or the Nvidia App by July 8th, 2026. The bundle is available through participating global retailers and system integrators.

KitGuru says: Are you planning to take advantage of this bundle?