While IO Interactive has been open about the fact that it needs more time to work on the Nintendo Switch 2 version of 007 First Light, the studio hasn’t really provided any solid release date aside from a “late summer” window. A new shop listing has been spotted, however, that indicates that the Switch 2 release of the Bond game is closer than we might have thought. As caught by Reddit users, Amazon Japan has the Nintendo Switch 2 version of 007 First Light available for pre-order with a release date of September 16th.
The title is seemingly priced at ¥8,910, which roughly translates to around $55, which largely keeps it in line with the PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC versions of the game. Interestingly, Amazon US also has a listing for the Nintendo Switch 2 release, and has dubbed it the “Specialist Edition”.
IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak had previously spoken about how the team needed “a bit more time” to wrap up work on the port. The reason behind this, he noted, was to make sure that the Switch 2 version of the game doesn’t face criticism for being a bad port.
“It’s running on the Switch 2,” he said. “We just want to make sure it’s good as it can be. I don’t want to hear it wasn’t a good version. To be completely honest, we need a bit more time to get it where we want it to be. We said summer. It’s probably going to be late summer. But we’re going to get it out.”
007 First Light’s delay was announced back in April, and at the time, the company hadn’t yet given any specific reason behind it. In its statement, the studio said that it was “looking forward to bringing you the best game experience possible across all platforms.”
The game puts players in the shoes of a young Bond who has just been recruited to join MI6 as part of its double-O program that is in the process of being revived. While early parts of the game revolve around Bond’s training, a mission going horribly wrong forces the superspy into action, with plenty of twists and turns along the way.
It made its way to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on May 27th, and went on to become quite the critical and commercial success. In our review, we gave it a score of 9 out of 10 thanks to its take on a younger James Bond, stunning production values, and all-round solid performance. Our only complaints involved the use of annoying quick-time events and dull enemy AI.
In a recent interview, writer Michael Vogt revealed that one of the early pitches for 007 First Light revolved around it being an ensemble game where Bond would work alongside other potential double-O recruits.
“During the training sequence, we make a false promise. Basically, we’re saying this is going to be an ensemble piece, all the double-Os working together, as they do in Slovakia. And then we pull the rug out from under you when most of them die, and serendipitously, [Bond’s] the last man standing. He could have died in that explosion, but he doesn’t, and so he emerges as the top agent. But in my very first pitch, I think we were actually toying with the idea of making it an ensemble piece, that you had the different agents working together.”
