Bond REBORN! How IO Reinvented 007 For a New Generation!

He's known the world over as Bond, James Bond. But before the martinis (shaken, not stirred, naturally), the gadgets, and the world-saving missions, who *was* James Bond? That's the burning question IO Interactive, the folks behind the *Hitman* series, are tackling in their upcoming game, *007 First Light*. The game promises an origin story, showing us the formative years of the iconic Agent 007.

Bond REBORN! How IO Reinvented 007 For a New Gener...

Recently, I had the chance to virtually sit down with the team at IO Interactive's headquarters in Copenhagen. The atmosphere was buzzing with excitement as they revealed their unique approach to crafting this younger, more vulnerable version of James Bond. It's no small feat, reinventing a legend.

*007 First Light* is being developed during an interesting lull in the Bond film franchise. It's been almost 14 years since the last Bond game, and with no current actor holding the 007 mantle, IO Interactive essentially had a blank canvas. They were given the creative freedom to craft their own original narrative, featuring a Bond entirely of their own making.

"It’s very important for us to have part of ourselves in the story and in the characters that we create, yet still being very respectful to the source material, to the IP," explained Hakan Abrak, game director and CEO of IO Interactive. "I don’t think we would have necessarily had the same energy and the same vision and the same results if we were to do a gamification of a movie. That freedom of creativity was very important to us, and we are so, so grateful for our partners that we’ve been given that opportunity." In essence, they didn't want to simply retread old ground. Smart move.

This endeavor required a delicate balancing act. They had to create something fresh and exciting while simultaneously honoring the decades-long legacy of this pop culture phenomenon. "Everyone knows Bond," said narrative and cinematic director Martin Emborg. "It's a generational thing by now: 63 years of movies, books from the '50s… it's huge. Everyone knows how he takes his drink, everyone knows what he drives, and what he wears. So, it’s really interesting to do an origin story. 'Who is the character? Who is the man behind all this stuff?'"

Instead of simply mimicking iconic portrayals from the likes of Connery, Brosnan, or Craig, the team at IO Interactive chose to delve deeper, examining the core, consistent characteristics that define Bond across all media. Emborg admitted that upon learning about the project six and a half years ago, he immediately went out and purchased box sets of the movies, books, and even the comics. Talk about commitment to the role!

"Bond is a character where there's been versions of him through the decades," Emborg explained. "I think it's not particularly helpful to look at how other people have interpreted the character. It's better to look at the DNA and then say, 'How are we making a contemporary version of this character?' Obviously, yeah, you look at the movies [and books] – how could you not?" The key, it seems, is to extract the essence of Bond and then reimagine it for a new generation.

Through this intensive process, IO identified the fundamental elements that make James Bond who he is, regardless of his age. The real challenge then became: how do you portray an inexperienced version of a character whose experience is so intrinsically linked to his identity? IO Interactive is focusing on his inherent traits and exploring how those traits would manifest in his younger years. Exciting stuff, and I personally cannot wait to see it unfold.