"We are looking forward to bringing you the best game experience possible across all platforms," IO Interactive said in a social media statement this week. For Nintendo Switch 2 owners, that experience is going to take a little longer to arrive.
007: First Light, the upcoming James Bond origin story from the studio behind the Hitman series, will no longer launch simultaneously across all platforms. PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S are still holding the May 27 release date. The Switch 2 version has been quietly pushed to "later this summer," with no specific date given.
A date that keeps moving
This is actually the second time 007: First Light has been delayed. IO Interactive originally had the game set for March 27, then pushed everything back to May 27 in December. At the time, the studio maintained it would still hit all platforms on the same day. That plan has now changed, at least for Switch 2.
The May 27 date is notable for another reason: it was previously held by GTA 6 before Rockstar shifted that release. 007: First Light stepped into that slot, and now Nintendo fans are watching the gap between their version and everyone else's widen without a clear explanation.
What IO actually said (and didn't say)
Here's the thing: IO's statement is conspicuously careful with its language. The word "delay" appears nowhere in the announcement. The studio simply reconfirmed the May 27 date for other platforms and noted Switch 2 would follow "later this summer." No technical explanation, no acknowledgment that this represents a change from the original plan.
That kind of careful phrasing usually signals one of two things: either the Switch 2 version hit unexpected technical hurdles, or the studio decided to focus resources on the platforms with larger userbases first and come back to the Switch 2 port afterward. Both are plausible. Neither has been confirmed.
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IO Interactive's statement did not use the word "delay" and gave no specific date for the Switch 2 release beyond "later this summer."
Switch 2 ports and the waiting game
007: First Light is not alone in making Nintendo fans wait. Borderlands 4 still has no confirmed Switch 2 port date, and Starfield has yet to materialize on the platform despite Bethesda titles landing on PS5. The Switch 2 is still relatively new hardware, and some studios are clearly treating it as a secondary priority when launch windows get tight.
The key here is that IO has at least confirmed the Switch 2 version is still coming. That is not nothing. But "later this summer" is a wide window, and Nintendo players who were counting on a day-one experience are now looking at potentially months of spoiler avoidance.
Bond's origin story, and who's playing him
007: First Light is built around a reimagined origin for the MI6 agent, with Patrick Gibson (best known from Dexter: Original Sin) playing Bond at 30 years old, making him the youngest on-screen 007 to date. The cast around him includes Gemma Chan from Eternals, Lennie James from The Walking Dead, and Lenny Kravitz as the villain.
IO's pitch is essentially a Hitman-meets-Uncharted hybrid, which sounds like exactly the kind of action-adventure framework that could translate well to portable play. That makes the Switch 2 delay sting a little more for players who wanted to take Bond on the go from day one.
What this means for Nintendo players
If you were planning to pick up 007: First Light on Switch 2 at launch, that plan needs adjusting. The game releases May 27 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. The Switch 2 version has no firm date beyond "later this summer," which in practice could mean anywhere from June to September.
For more on what 007: First Light actually plays like ahead of its May launch, check out the 007 First Light announcement details straight from IO Interactive. Make sure to check out more:
