By the time Project 007 releases, it will likely have been longer than a whole decade since the last James Bond game, and IO Interactive has a chance to truly reboot the series by having it set in the past. Games based on the most famous agent in Her Majesty’s Secret Service are notoriously difficult to get right, but GoldenEye 007 and Everything Or Nothing are standout examples of how the novels and films can be adapted well. With essentially a clean slate in front of IOI, developer of the Hitman games, an interesting and nearly unprecedented move would be to take 007 back to his Cold War roots.
Ian Fleming’s first novel, Casino Royale, was published in 1953 and centered on Bond attempting to bankrupt Le Chiffre, the paymaster for multiple Soviet Red Army counter-intelligence organizations, through a high-stakes game of baccarat. Man of Fleming’s other James Bond novels, and their film adaptions before the fall of the Soviet Union, similarly depict Bond embroiled in conflicts which arose through Cold War geopolitics and espionage.
Agent 47 and James Bond have some commonality, but IOI will have to create a narrative for Project 007 inside a long-established and beloved franchise, unless it decides to adapt an existing story like the From Russia With Love game. Painting the Soviets or Russians as the bad guys is a bit played out in video games, but Bond already offers an easy workaround with SPECTRE as the series’ longtime villainous organization. Having Project 007 set in the past would give the game a time period fairly unique in modern gaming, set it apart from the recent, technology-filled movies, and a give it a chance to capitalize on James Bond nostalgia.
Setting Project 007 In The Past Could Be A James Bond Celebration
The previous attempt at a James Bond game, 007 Legends, was meant to be something of a love letter to the film franchise, featuring a mission from each of the lead actors’ eras. Unfortunately, that game was almost universally panned. The developer has shared few details on Project 007, but making a game that revels in all things Bond would be a good way to bring the MI6 agent back to video games. Setting it in the past would allow the game to feature all sorts of iconic Bond elements – classic cars, Cold War-era gadgets, old-fashioned spycraft, and more.
With IO Interactive being handed the keys to the James Bond games license after such a long hiatus, it’s not unreasonable to think there may be multiple games on the horizon if the studio’s first effort is a hit. The films have arguably reached unprecedented heights in the Daniel Craig era, but the games rewinding the clock could result in a more believable villain, and recapture some of the camp the franchise lost over the years. Hollywood and the games industry are vastly different, and Project 007 has a unique opportunity to rediscover some of James Bond‘s roots with a novel experience in a bygone era.
