00:00Amazon says it has a great relationship with 007 First Light developers as fans worry IO Interactive won't make a
00:07sequel.
00:08James Bond will return, and according to Amazon, any future adventures in the gaming franchise will likely continue to involve
00:16IO Interactive, the studio behind the recently released 007 First Light.
00:21The game had already surpassed 1.5 million copies sold and has earned stronger reviews from both critics and players.
00:28In a statement provided to VGC, an Amazon spokesperson sought to clarify the company's position regarding the future of the
00:37Bond gaming franchise.
00:39Amazon MGM holds the rights to any future James Bond video games, but it's still too early to discuss future
00:45projects, the spokesperson said.
00:47We have a great relationship with IO Interactive and we are proud of what we've accomplished together on 007 First
00:54Light.
00:54Our partners at IO will reveal more about 007 First Light in the near future, and we're looking forward to
01:00sharing what's next.
01:02The statement comes after comments made by Amazon Game Studios boss, Jeff Gaddis, led some fans to believe that Amazon
01:09intended to move forward with future James Bond games without IO Interactive's involvement.
01:16Speaking to Polygon on June 4th, Gaddis discussed the development of 007 First Light, noting that the project was approved
01:24before Amazon acquired MGM and gained control of the James Bond license.
01:29Because of that arrangement, IO Interactive was able to self-publish the game.
01:34Gaddis indicated that future Bond titles would operate under a different structure, explaining that Amazon and MGM would play a
01:41larger role going forward.
01:42We didn't have the full rights to this first light James Bond game, Gaddis said, adding that future sequels would
01:49be done by MGM and theoretically by Amazon Game Studios.
01:53Those comments sparked concern among fans that Amazon might attempt to develop future Bond games internally.
01:59However, that scenario never seemed particularly likely. Amazon has significantly scaled back its in-house game development ambitions in recent
02:07years,
02:07making it difficult to imagine the company independently producing a follow-up to a major title like 007 First Light.
02:14A more realistic approach would be for Amazon to continue partnering with Experian Studios, much like it is currently doing
02:21with Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog on upcoming Tomb Raider projects.
02:27While Amazon stopped short of officially confirming a sequel to 007 First Light, its response to VGC strongly suggests that
02:34IO Interactive remains an important part of the franchise's future.
02:38The company reiterated that it is still too early to discuss future projects, but the speed with which it addressed
02:45fan concerns, combined with the commercial and critical success of 007 First Light, makes it seem highly likely that IO
02:52Interactive will have the opportunity to develop another James Bond game down the road.
02:58Comments
02:58The Avi says,
02:59We're probably getting ahead of ourselves by already talking about a sequel. One of IO Interactive's biggest strengths over the
03:06last decade has been its commitment to supporting games long after launch. 007 First Light is still receiving post-launch
03:13support, and according to the studio, there is more content still to come.
03:18Jane Doe goes,
03:20It's worth remembering that much of IO's extensive post-launch support history came after releasing three Hitmen games, giving the
03:27studio a larger foundation to build upon.
03:30The Left Hand of the Son of Ko says,
03:32Without getting into spoiler territory, the ending of 007 First Light's single-player campaign feels very much like the setup
03:38for a sequel.
03:41Jarek says,
03:42Amazon would be making a mistake if it didn't bring IO Interactive back for a follow-up.
03:46The bigger question is whether IO would want to return under a different publishing arrangement.
03:50If the studio doesn't own the code, assets, or see revenue until development and marketing costs are recouped, it may
03:57prefer to pursue other opportunities.
04:00Ultimately, the decision may come down to how profitable 007 First Light becomes.
04:04If the game performs well enough for IO to comfortably fund its next project independently, the studio may be more
04:12interested in self-publishing future titles.
04:14The Left Hand of the Son of Ko says,
04:17Amazon would be foolish not to let IO continue the story as started with 007 First Light.
04:22Then again, some fans remain skeptical about Amazon's decision-making and whether the company will make the right call regarding
04:28the future of the franchise.
04:31So what I have to say to that is that I don't think they would push out IO Interactive.
04:47I don't think Amazon Game Studios at MGM would take that away since we got the bond license.
04:56We're doing it.
04:57I don't think that's going to happen.
05:00I do hope whatever story that 007 First Light portrayed,
05:07especially if it ended on Cliffhanger, I do hope they get a chance to continue that story and wrap up
05:13the story at the pace that IO Interactive planned out the story.
05:17That being said, well first the story because I played Bloodstone 007 on PS3 like back in 2010 and that
05:30game ended on Cliffhanger.
05:33It actually said in the credits of that game, see what happens next in the next James Bond game, which
05:41ended up being canceled.
05:44And then we got 007 Legends instead, which was just a mashup of all the biggest scenes from other James
05:55Bond movies put into a video game.
06:01No consistent story, no, you know, just the best, the best, most chaotic hits in one package.
06:10So, yeah, I don't think Amazon and MGM would do that.
06:16Would IO Interactive want to continue?
06:19It really depends how much the deal is going to change, if the deal changes at all.
06:23If 007 First Light is really doing as well as I heard it was doing, then Amazon and MGM might
06:31want to do whatever it takes to keep IO Interactive happy.
06:36So they are developing the next game.
06:40So I think anyone fearing that Amazon and MGM are going to take over and kick IO Interactive out, I
06:47don't think there's any danger of that.
06:51The only way I could see that happening is if this game was doing poorly.
06:56But like I said, I've already heard that this is already 007 First Light is already over a million sales,
07:04I think.
07:07So someone can correct me if I'm wrong on that.
07:12So I don't think there's anything to worry.
07:16The only other thing, though, is will, with this game being as successful as it is and as it will
07:24be, will, how much is Amazon and MGM going to influence the soup, so to speak?
07:32What do I mean by that?
07:35Well, as they say, too many chefs ruin the soup.
07:40Are they going to let IO Interactive continue the story they had planned, or is Amazon and MGM going to
07:46be involved in where the story goes, the pacing of the story, or whatever?
07:51Are they going to put restrictions that end up making it not as good as it would have been if
07:56it was in its original form?
07:58Are they going to let IO Interactive continue the story in its original form?
08:03Those are the only concerns I really have, especially with how successful I've heard that First Light already is.
08:14I don't think anything, I don't think we have to worry about IO Interactive being kicked out.
08:20I think it's, the only thing is if Amazon and MGM want to put their hands into the creation of
08:27the sequel, and how much they want to be involved with it.
08:31I think that's the biggest concern.
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