Amazon Casts Doubt on Future of IO Interactive's 007 Games

Amazon Gaming's chief has cast doubt on any future for IO Interactive's James Bond saga, after 007 First Light released last month.

Speaking to Polygon, Amazon Gaming CEO Jeff Gattis said that because technically IO's deal with First Light was before Amazon's acquisition of MGM and the James Bond IP, the company does not claim to have full rights over that title, and any sequels will therefore be done "by MGM, and theoretically, by Amazon Game Studios."

Amazon is leaning into a multi-media strategy with their properties. Amazon is appearing to line the release of Lara Croft's Amazon Prime show up with the upcoming Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis which is launching in February. "[So] there'll be a Tomb Raider TV show on Prime Video that'll go alongside the games. There's a lot of things we have in the works on new games that'll relate to Prime Video IP," the Amazon Gaming head said.

[So] there'll be a Tomb Raider TV show on Prime Video that'll go alongside the games. There's a lot of things we have in the works on new games that'll relate to Prime Video IP.

-- Jeff Gattis, Amazon Gaming CEO via Polygon

IO Interactive first announced a 007 game was in the works back in 2020 under the codename "Project 007". Amazon only acquired MGM in March 2022, and later secured full creative control to the James Bond IP only last year. Reading between the lines, one can assume that Amazon preferred to see IO's game release through, rather than cancel the title and potentially pay out any associated penalties.

That may have been the right call. First Light launched to critical and market success, with the game holding an 88 on Metacritic, with IO Interactive claiming 1.5 million copies of the game sold within the first 24 hours of release.