007 First Light Gets Switch 2 Release Date as IO Interactive Says “Optimization and Performance” Needs Time

IO Interactive has announced that the Switch 2 version of 007 First Light will launch on March 18, 2027. The game was originally expected this summer, but IOI announced a delay to an unspecified date in March nearly a month ago. Read more

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IO Interactive has announced that the Switch version of 2007 First Light will be released on March 18, 2027. The game was originally expected this summer, but IOI announced a delay nearly a month ago to an unspecified date in March.

"Since announcing further development time to ensure the quality of experience players expect, IO Interactive has presented hands-on builds of 007 First Light to both Gamescom and the Tokyo Game Show, where players and press had their first opportunity to experience the world of Bond running on Nintendo hardware," the company said in a press release.

"Player response from both events has been positive and shows the progress being made across the game as development continues towards launch. The development team will use the coming months to continue optimizing the game and performance on Nintendo Switch 2, ensuring it meets the standards players expect at launch."

Obviously, the transition was not smooth. We've heard similar things from Capcom for what it's worth, with Monster Hunter Wilds developers claiming it's been a "hard and seemingly never-ending process" to get the game to run well on Switch 2.

The announcement date coincides with pre-orders for the Deluxe Edition going live with access to some of the in-game costumes and extras. We're also just a few weeks away from 007 First Light, which is getting a lot of additional content in the form of New Game Plus, a new and harder difficulty, photo mode, more replayable TacSim challenge missions, and a bit of general gameplay tweaking. All of these will likely be included in the Switch 2 version at launch.

As things stand, 007 First Light has been one of the standout hits of 2026, bringing James Bond back into the game with flair and flair. Hitman Studios delivered a tight, exciting single player cinematic adventure full of charm and humor - not unlike James Bond. Eurogamer's glowing review of 007 First Light can tell you more.

The game also appears to have been a commercial success, selling over 4 million since release - and with a Switch 2 version on the way, there's more to come. I imagine that makes the possibility of a sequel very strong, although Amazon, the new owner of the Bond franchise, has said it wants to be involved in whatever comes next, while IOI was the master of its own destiny with 007 First Light.

Meanwhile, IOI is also developing a fantasy game called Project Fantasy. It was announced as an online RPG in 2023, but recently suffered a major setback when publisher Xbox pulled out of the project, forcing IOI to close one of its studios and lay off company-wide - even after the success of First Light 007. IOI has since taken full ownership of the game and has vowed to continue developing Project Fantasy independently.

The studio also continues to develop Hitman World of Assassination, which recently added rapper Snoop Dogg as an elusive target.