The Nintendo Switch 2 version of 007 First Light has been delayed until March 2027, as IO Interactive look to take more time to improve the game performance on Nintendo’s handheld.
While they say they were “thrilled” by the feedback to the Switch 2 version at Gamescom last month, they clearly feel there is still more work to be done. That same demo will reappear at Tokyo Game Show this week.
Only the briefest glimpse of the game was featured during the Nintendo Direct last week:
This will make it the better part of a year between the original release of the game on other platforms and the Switch 2 version, and it feels like a number of developers are being caught in the trap of thinking that a port to the hybrid handheld will be a fairly straightforward job. While there’s plenty of examples of successful day one counterparts and ports that can punch well above their weight – Capcom has shown a great aptitude here – there’s also examples that have been a struggle. 007 is clearly one, while Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight was also quite notably held back on Switch 2, though it is now coming out this week.
Here’s the social media statement from IOI:
007 has been a big success. While we don’t have any up-to-date figures, IOI did say that First Light had sold 3 million copies in two weeks and was “beating the company’s internal expectations”. New franchise holder Amazon also said that they’d likely want to work with IOI on a sequel.
In our 007 First Light review, Jim said, “007 First Light is an incredibly well-executed action adventure blockbuster with a truly engrossing story, slick presentation, and layered gameplay systems. It marks a major evolution for IO Interactive, thrusting the studio into that coveted top tier of video game developers. It also has us excited for the team’s future projects, whether that’s more Bond or a return to Hitman at some point down the road.”
