Amazon Affirms Strong Partnership with 007 First Light Developers Amid Fan Concerns Over Potential Sequel by IOI

James Bond is set to make a comeback, and Amazon has indicated that any potential future sequel will likely be developed in collaboration with IO Interactive, the studio responsible for the recently launched 007 First Light, which has already sold over 1.5 million copies and received glowing reviews.

An Amazon representative stated, “Amazon MGM holds the rights to any future James Bond video games, but it’s still too early to discuss future projects.”

“We have a fantastic partnership with IO Interactive and are proud of our achievements together on 007 First Light. Our partners at IO will share more about 007 First Light soon, and we’re excited to reveal what’s next.”

This clarification comes after earlier remarks from Amazon Game Studios head Jeff Gattis led many to believe that the retail giant might develop the next Bond game independently of IOI. In a June 4 interview, Gattis mentioned that First Light, which was approved before Amazon acquired MGM and the Bond license, was self-published by IOI.

He noted that this wouldn’t apply to future Bond games, stating: “[We] didn’t have the full rights to this First Light James Bond game,” and that upcoming sequels would be “done by MGM and, theoretically, by Amazon Game Studios.”

This comment sparked speculation online, with many interpreting it to mean that Amazon would take over the development of future 007 games, suggesting that a proper sequel from IOI was off the table. This led to considerable online backlash. However, it appears that Amazon is simply clarifying that while future games would likely be published by them, IOI would still play a significant role, which aligns with their ownership of the Bond franchise.

Given Amazon’s recent scaling back of its game development ambitions, it seems unlikely they would independently create a follow-up to a game like First Light. Partnering with another studio for such a project makes much more sense, similar to their collaborations with Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog on two new Tomb Raider games.

While Amazon did not confirm a follow-up to First Light in its statement, emphasizing that it’s “still too early to discuss future projects,” the success of First Light and the swift response to clarify the situation regarding Bond’s future suggest that it’s highly probable IOI will develop another 007 game down the line.