The name is Light. First Light. And apparently, a LOT of people wanted a piece of it. IO Interactive has announced that 007 First Light shifted a staggering 1.5 million copies within its first 24 hours on sale, according to a report from Push Square.
The developer took to social media to thank the player base for the explosive launch, posting: "1.5 million copies sold! Thank you for showing up to the launch of 007 First Light, for your overwhelming enthusiasm and for sharing your experience with the game." That's a lot of Martinis to celebrate with.
From Hitman to Bond - IO Interactive is absolutely cooking
This is a massive win for IO Interactive, the studio best known for the Hitman series. Pivoting from bald assassin to suave secret agent was always going to be a risk, but the market has clearly voted with its wallet. One million and a half times, to be exact.
For context, 1.5 million day-one sales puts 007 First Light firmly in the conversation as a serious franchise launcher. IO Interactive has essentially unlocked the "critical mass" achievement on their very first attempt with the Bond IP - not an easy feat, especially in a market where new IPs and reboots often stumble out of the gate.
The mission briefing checks out
Whether the game lives up to the hype in the long run remains to be seen, but from a pure sales perspective, this is a certified S-rank launch. Players are clearly hungry for a proper Bond game, and IO Interactive seems to have answered the call on day one. The question now is whether the game has the legs to keep the momentum going - or whether it'll pull a Goldeneye and become a nostalgic relic before the sequels even get greenlit.
Either way, the scoreboard doesn't lie. 1.5 million copies in 24 hours means IO Interactive just respawned the Bond gaming franchise with full health and a full ammo clip. GG, Mr. Bond.
