With 1.5 million copies sold in its first 24 hours, 007 First Light seems to be hit for IO Interactive. However, it seems that the road to breaking even is still a ways off, as the Danish Broadcasting Corporation reports that development costs 1.3 billion kroner or about $140.49 million.
This is seemingly without marketing, which would bring the total even higher, especially since IO Interactive is self-publishing. Denmark’s TV 2 also cited the same development figure and noted that the title far surpasses other titles and entertainment media in Denmark in terms of costs.
The DBC also noted that First Light was in development for seven years. It was announced in 2020, but that was likely the start of pre-production, given that IOI was still wrapping up work on 2021’s Hitman 3. When exactly full production began is unknown.
If the development figure is accurate and we include marketing costs, 007 First Light would need to sell at least three million copies to be considered profitable. Of course, given its positive word of mouth and the fact that it’s the first critically acclaimed James Bond title in decades, that probably won’t be too big of an ask.
007 First Light is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, with the Nintendo Switch 2 version still launching later in the Summer. Check out our review for the game, where we gave it a 9 out of 10.