007 First Light is estimated to have sold 2.2 million copies, generating $150 million in revenue.
Rhys Elliott, head of market analysis at Alinea Analytics, tweeted to say that the company’s data showed most of those early sales were on PS5. Elliott said 55.1% of sales were on PS5, 33.1% on Steam, and 11.8% on Xbox (Xbox console, Windows, and cloud combined).
The only official sales data we have comes from developer IO Interactive, which said that 007 First Light had become the fastest-selling game in the company’s history, shifting 1.5 million copies in its first 24 hours. That means it’s sold faster than any Hitman game. The impressive sales milestone was achieved without the aid of the Nintendo Switch 2 version, which is due out this summer.
The James Bond adventure is also the highest rated IOI game ever, with an 87 on Metacritic. IGN’s 007 First Light review returned a 9/10. We said: “Demonstrably obsessed with bringing the Bond fantasy to life in a way no one has ever managed before, 007 First Light is the best Bond game I’ve ever played.”
So, a strong start for James Bond, but it looks like the game still has some way to go before breaking even for IOI. According to a report by the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, 007 First Light had a budget of 1.3 billion Danish krone (a little more than USD $202 million). Denmark’s TV 2 said that makes 007 First Light the most expensive entertainment product in the country’s history. IO had no comment to share regarding its reported budget when contacted by IGN.
Adding complication to the question of whether 007 First Light will be successful commercially is that Amazon Game Studios has a stake in the game, despite the fact Amazon bought the James Bond IP after the First Light IO deal was done. Indeed, Amazon Games Studios has suggested it will publish all future James Bond games, whereas IOI self-published 007 First Light. Clearly, IOI hopes for enough success to continue 007 First Light’s story with a sequel. Indeed, the developer has said it wants to make a trilogy of James Bond games.
IGN’s 007 First Light review returned a 9/10. We said: “Demonstrably obsessed with bringing the Bond fantasy to life in a way no one has ever managed before, 007 First Light is the best Bond game I’ve ever played.”
Our 007 First Light Guide has all the Essential Tips and Tricks you need to survive your first assignments, plus 6 Tips for Mastering Stealth so you can stay out of sight. There are plenty of achievements to unlock and collectibles to get your hands on, so check our guide to All Collectible Locations to make sure you don’t miss out. For a helping hand with your missions, head to our in-progress Walkthrough, and our guide to all the Safe Combinations and Keypad Codes.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
