Amazon Walks Back 007 First Light Sequel Comments, But IO's Future With Bond Still Unclear

Three million copies in two weeks. That's where 007 First Light sits right now, and by any measure, IO Interactive's Bond origin story has landed exactly as well as anyone who played it hoped it would.

But success has a way of stirring up complicated conversations. And this one got complicated fast.

Last week, Amazon's Head of Gaming, Jeff Gattis, told Polygon that any sequels to First Light would be "done by MGM and, theoretically, by Amazon Game Studios." Unsurprisingly, that sent fans into a spin. IO Interactive, the Copenhagen-based studio behind the Hitman series, spent seven years building this game. The idea they'd be cut out of whatever comes next? Not exactly the news players wanted to hear.

Gattis has since tried to clear things up. Speaking to IGN at Summer Game Fest, he was pretty direct about where his original comments went wrong.

"First of all, let me set the record straight for you," Gattis said. "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. In fact, I was over there visiting them in Copenhagen a couple of months ago. The game's doing great. Let's let the game breathe and have its day."

Fair enough. Context matters, and it's worth remembering that Amazon owns the Bond IP now following its 2021 purchase of MGM, but IO's deal to make First Light was already signed before that acquisition happened. The studio self-published the game. That's an unusual arrangement, and it's probably what made Gattis' original comments feel more alarming than they were intended to be.

As for what comes next, Gattis wasn't about to hand out any guarantees. But he did say this: "Trust that we're going to be smart about this. It's market appetite. As long as we feel there's a desire for players to have the game, it's safe to say it's going to be made."

When pressed specifically on whether 007 First Light's commercial performance was enough of a green light to get a sequel into production, the answer was short: "Seems like a sequel should be made."

Not exactly a signed contract, but it's something.

What IO Interactive Have Said

IO CEO Hakan Abrak told IGN he was "very confident" the game will turn a profit, describing it as the most expensive title the studio has ever produced. He did add though that "there's some royalty models and whatnot around this, but we are well above our forecasts at this point."

There's also a positive precedent to look at. With the Hitman World of Assassination trilogy, the cost of each entry came down over time as the team found its rhythm. Abrak said he would expect the same pattern to hold for future Bond games, meaning sequels could arrive both faster and cheaper than the seven years and significant budget poured into First Light.

IO have also already mapped out First Light's first year of content, which includes story DLC and more, so the studio isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Amazon's Official Position

A spokesperson for Amazon gave PC Gamer a slightly more cautious statement than Gattis' off-the-cuff comments: "Amazon MGM holds the rights to any future James Bond videogames but it's still too early to discuss future projects. We have a great relationship with IO Interactive and are proud of what we've accomplished together on 007 First Light."

Reading between the lines, that's Amazon being very careful not to commit to anything, while also not ruling anything out. Which is corporate speak for: we haven't decided yet.

For fans, it's a frustrating place to be. The IGN review scored the game 9/10, calling it the best Bond game ever made, and the sales figures back that up. IO built something special here, and the thought of another studio stepping in for a follow-up, or Amazon Game Studios attempting it in-house, feels like a risk nobody needs to take.

Gattis' latest comments suggest the people at Amazon know that too. Whether "seems like a sequel should be made" translates into "IO Interactive is making it" is still a question without a definitive answer. But for now, at least, the door hasn't been closed.