A producer of James Bond video games at Electronic Arts (EA) has commented on where he believes those games went wrong and how they could have been improved. With less than 2 weeks before the release of IO Interactive’s 007: First Light, there has been a reflection on the history of the Bond IP in video games. In the 2000s, EA released several original Bond adventures and games based on popular titles such as From Russia with Love.
Now, the former producer of those games, Chuck Beaver, is reflecting on the trilogy he helped bring to life. He also explains why he doesn’t think it’s hard to make a 007 game in 2026 compared to when they had the license a quarter-century ago.
Former 007 Dev Says Batman Is Basically James Bond in a Cape
Speaking in an interview with FRVR, Beaver, who was a producer on all three EA 007 titles, explains why he believes that the Arkham Asylum gameplay, which would be perfected by Rocksteady years after Electronic Arts gave up the James Bond license, was the perfect blueprint for how to best represent James Bond in video games. He would also say that Batman is basically James Bond in a cape and cowl.
“We gave the license up to Activision after From Russia with Love, and we were like, ‘Oh, sorry, we would have loved to perfect it. And then, I remember Arkham Asylum came out, not shortly after, but after, we were like, ‘Oh. That’s exactly what we should have done for that [Bond]. That was so good. But it was like, Batman is Bond in a cape and cowl. It was so fun to watch them nail the essence of that.”
He would go on to say that it’s not difficult to make a James Bond video game in 2026 because there are now so many great examples of adapting the action from the movies into video games. He would even suggest that developers could pull inspiration from Snake from the Metal Gear Solid franchise.
IO Interactive, known for its work on the Hitman franchise, is drawing inspiration from both the Hitman series and the Uncharted games. 007: First light releases on May 27 with 24-hour Early Access to anyone who pre-orders the game. The game will be available on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. Insider Gaming will have more on the upcoming title leading up to and following its release.
For more 007: First Light, check out Lenny Kravitz discussing his role in the game. Also, sound off about this story and all others in our official Discord server, and don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter.
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