007 First Light is "a distinct and separate universe," says IO Interactive, despite Mads Mikkelsen's Le Chiffre coming to Hitman

007 First Light isn't the only James Bond-related project IO Interactive had been keeping under wraps, as the studio has also brought Mads Mikkelsen's iconic Casino Royale villain Le Chiffre in for Hitman's latest Elusive Target. Just don't expect this to be the start of a larger connected universe bringing the two franchises together.

"What you saw from First Light, it's a completely original Bond and a completely original universe," senior Hitman level designer Martin Ansdal tells me in a Summer Game Fest interview. "I think they want, really, to design a Bond for video games, and that has to be a distinct and separate universe. So there's no plans for crossover."

Since Le Chiffre is a character pulled from the Daniel Craig movie universe, he "would not have been able to exist" in the same world as new game 007 First Light, Ansdal continues, "because that creates confusion about what universe it is."

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As IO sees it, "you can have Mads Mikkelsen as a guest star in the World of Assassination, but it's important to state that does not imply a larger, shared thing."

Regardless, Le Chiffre's appearance in Hitman has given the team room to create something "more ambitious" than previous Elusive Targets, and Ansdal says that's important for the studio, the Hitman brand, and himself as a designer.

"When I go to work, I don't try to make 'content.' I try to do something special, like something that doesn't exist in other games. An experience you couldn't have in any other game. [No] other game will have you dress up as a flamingo and kill Le Chiffre with a banana peel he slips on. You cannot get that anywhere else."

Check out everything announced at Summer Game Fest 2025 for all you need to know from the kickoff event. The Summer Game Fest schedule for 2025 continues to roll on, and we'll have more on all the big games as it goes.