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- IO Interactive won't self-publish any future 007 First Light sequels
- Amazon Game Studios will handle publishing now that Amazon owns the Bond IP
- Amazon Gaming general manager Jeff Gattis says sequels will be "done by MGM and, theoretically, by Amazon Game Studios."
Amazon Gaming has confirmed that Amazon Game Studios will handle the publishing of any future 007 First Light sequels.
007 First Light has been a roaring success for IO Interactive, selling 1.5 million copies in its first 24 hours, a milestone reached faster than any of the studio's Hitman games.
Sequels are a high possibility at this point, but according to Amazon Gaming general manager Jeff Gattis, IO Interactive won't self-publish them.
"We did not [make First Light]," Gattis told Polygon. "We do have a stake in it because we now own the IP, but that IP acquisition happened after the First Light IO deal was already done."
The GM explained that while Amazon "didn't have the full rights to this First Light James Bond game," sequels will be "done by MGM and, theoretically, by Amazon Game Studios."
IOI began developing 007 First Light when the Bond franchise was under the control of MGM and EON Productions; however, Amazon acquired MGM in 2021, one year after First Light was announced.
Amazon and MGM still collaborated with IOI after the acquisition, but now the company will have a more central role in potential sequels.
Fans reacting to the news are worried for the future of IOI's Bond games, with one fan on Reddit saying that it sounds like Amazon "might be implying that the sequel will be made without IO Interactive, if so, Amazon is making a big mistake."
Another wrote, "Hopefully they're not that foolish. IOI and Bond are a match made in heaven. I've barely started First Light and it's been great so far. This could be a scenario where Amazon wants to publish the game but could retain IOI as the development studio, but I doubt that. IOI self-publishes these days, so they might want to keep it that way, but it might be good to hand some risk over to a different publisher."
There's a big distinction between publishing and developing a game, so it's important to note that it sounds like IO Interactive will still be the ones making Bond games, while Amazon Game Studios will be financing them, which could mean the latter will have more input into the projects.
Gattis went on to say that Amazon is eager to expand into games so it can synergize alongside its TV shows and films, something it could do with IO Interactive games and the company's next James Bond movie, currently in the works.
"We think that's a real opportunity for us to create IP that extends — or kind of expands upon — TV shows and movies," Gattis said. "So there'll be a Tomb Raider TV show on Prime Video that'll go alongside the games. There's a lot of things we have in the works on new games that'll relate to Prime Video IP."
Amelia Schwanke, TechRadar's Senior Editor UK, Home Entertainment, rated 007 First Light four stars in her review, calling it an " original blockbuster Bond story" that is "the closest a game has ever come to making me feel like I’m starring in a Bond film."
"IO Interactive takes the stealth sandbox of Hitman, the intense thrills of Uncharted, and experimental spycraft of Batman: Arkham, and reshapes them into a globe-trotting cinematic spy thriller filled with covert missions, explosive action, and cool gadgets," Schwanke said. "While the immersiveness of the campaign occasionally lags, this stylish origin story still feels like a triumphant return for the most iconic secret agent."
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