IOI says the hero in 007 First Light isn't the "classy Bond with the martini" we know and love, but thankfully Q will teach him "why he needs to wear a nice watch and things like that"

007 First Light stars a younger, less refined version of the classic "tuxedo Bond" we've come to know and love from the legendary film series, but thankfully he's still got his trusty Q to show him how to dress, sip martinis, and brood.

We sat down with IO Interactive's 007 franchise director Jonathan Lacaille during Summer Game Fest 2025, and he opened up a little about the unique relationship dynamic between this game's James Bond and his Quartermaster, who fans of the film series will remember as Bond's sometimes father figure and supplier of state-of-the-art gadgets.

(The below quote has been lightly edited for clarity.)

"The Bond that we have today is not tuxedo Bond, the classy Bond with the martini and so on, said Lacaille. "He's young, he's not the suit guy yet. But Q is more the classy gentleman with a lot of taste, and he will teach Bond what he should wear, manners, you know, why he needs to wear a nice watch and things like that."

It's ironic that my first thought after hearing that was, 'oh so kind of like Nathan Drake and Victor Sullivan from Uncharted' because I specifically made the point recently that 007 First Light in fact isn't an Uncharted-style action game based on comments from this same interview. Well, haven't I made myself look like a fool?

Anyway, I'm encouraged that IOI isn't going the safe route and just adapting the most instantly recognizable Bond. Sean Connery was pretty young when he was introduced as Bond at 32 in Dr. No, but even then he very much embraced the archetypal Bond that Lacaille is describing, so it'll be refreshing to see a scrappier, less elegant Bond.

007 First Light devs chose a James Bond origin story to help be "more relatable" to a "younger audience maybe than the Bond franchise is used to"