Three years ago, IO Interactive announced Project 007, a new James Bond game. Since then, the upcoming title has been shrouded in mystery, with IO Interactive doing very little to quench the growing fan anticipation – until now.
James Bond’s reverence in pop culture is almost mythical, which makes the stakes for developing a new Bond game higher than ever. Regardless, it seems like IO Interactive is on the brink of introducing something fans haven’t quite seen before. IO recently shared a recruitment tweet in which Senior Gameplay Animator Joshua Gleaves described Project 007’s gameplay animation as “something yet unseen.”
https://twitter.com/IOInteractive/status/1750829770357489832
What this means, nobody really knows, but we’re confident IO has what it takes to bring the next James Bond title to the forefront of the stealth genre. The Danish developer’s work on the Hitman series is nothing to scoff at. The most recent game, Hitman 3, which was released in 2021, has been hailed by critics as the best entry in the 20-year-old franchise, with many believing it to be one of the greatest games in the stealth genre.
Still, moving from the world of Agent 47 to Her Majesty’s Secret Service is no easy feat. For Project 007, there has been a brew of opinions, ranging from cautiously optimistic to outright speculative, especially when it comes to the potential gameplay mechanics.
The root cause of this is a recent job listing for a Senior Level Designer (Combat) that was spotted by Tech4Gamers, which calls for someone with a “keen focus on combat scenarios for third-person (or first-person) action-adventure games.”
To most fans, the buzz about Project 007’s possible first-person and third-person hybrid gameplay might be, well, a bit overhyped. It’s highly likely that the mention of third-person experience with a side note of “or first-person” in game development listings could just be a standard way of saying, “We want you to be versatile in combat design.” Calm down, folks!
On the off chance that IO plans to blend first- and third-person perspectives in the upcoming Bond game, is that really such a bad idea? Classic and modern games alike have already proven that, with the right execution, a hybrid perspective can actually enhance the gameplay experience. In fact, it’s not uncommon for games, especially those with stealth elements, to switch between these two perspectives.
Metroid Prime, a game that needs no introduction, employed both first-person and third-person perspectives, with players switching between the two camera angles in Morph Ball mode. More recent titles like Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon shift into a first-person perspective for precision aiming, and Project 007 could very well employ a similar mechanic, blending the immersion of first-person with the spatial awareness of third-person.
In any case, critics of a first-person Bond shooter are overlooking a crucial piece of the franchise’s history: some of the most iconic Bond games were first-person shooters.
GoldenEye 007, the Nintendo 64 title, is considered to have revolutionized first-person shooters in a way that no game had done before. Being able to aim your gun while on the run or aim down sights is second nature for FPS players now, but back in the ’90s, these were unprecedented features.
To put it simply, there’s more than enough room for both perspectives to be used in Project 007’s gameplay. What matters ultimately is the execution, and knowing IO Interactive, I am not worried.
IO Interactive has not yet announced a release window for Project 007.
