Game Informer recently visited IO Interactive in Copenhagen for an in-depth look at 007: First Light. The visit included a hands-off gameplay demonstration, developer commentary, and a feature that largely revisits and contextualises the information revealed over the past year, including a detailed walkthrough of the now-familiar gameplay demo.
Below, we focus on the parts that stand out beyond that recap: a closer read of the new cover key art and what it suggests about the Iceland Incident as a prologue, Malta as a newly confirmed location, fresh hints surrounding the Grand Carpathian level and Bond’s first true turning point, and newly surfaced evidence of unexpected player freedom in Aleph. Along the way, we connect the dots, highlight what’s genuinely new, and point out where the details fuel new fan theories.
The Iceland Incident – What the Key Art Tells Us
At the narrative core of 007: First Light lies the Iceland Incident, a catastrophic mission that predates Bond’s MI6 career. The Game Informer cover art is explicitly dedicated to this event.
The wrecked helicopter closely resembles a Royal Navy Merlin Mk2, the Fleet Air Arm’s primary anti-submarine warfare platform. The Mk2 is a highly specialised aircraft, typically crewed by four: two pilots, an observer acting as mission commander, and an aircrewman responsible for sonar operations. In this role, Merlin crews — often referred to as “pingers” — conduct long-range maritime patrols using active sonar, with the aircraft equipped for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare.
The visible Fleet Air Arm insignia on Bond’s uniform aligns precisely with this operational context. It places the Iceland Incident firmly within a conventional Royal Navy mission, rather than an intelligence or covert operation for MI6. The image shows Bond emerging alone from the wreckage, helmet in hand, surrounded by fire and debris — emphasizing survival after systemic mission drama, not heroism.
Environmental details further narrow the setting. In the background, the rock formation strongly resembles Dyrhólaey, the iconic natural arch on Iceland’s south coast. Its inclusion subtly anchors the incident geographically and reinforces the maritime, North Atlantic nature of the operation suggested by the aircraft and equipment.
Finally, Bond’s visible injuries — particularly on the right cheek — stand out without being explicitly highlighted. The framing emphasizes physical consequence rather than spectacle. In Ian Fleming’s novels, Bond is famously described as carrying a scar on his right cheek, though its origin was never clearly defined. Within IO Interactive’s interpretation, the Iceland Incident appears to offer a possible point of origin for that long-established detail.
However, as IO Interactive art director Rasmus Poulsen explained to Game Informer, the key art is primarily intended to convey the tone and feeling of the game, not to function as a precise, literal reconstruction of the Iceland Incident. As such, these visual observations are best read as thematic cues rather than hard confirmation — interesting signals that invite analysis, but very much ones to be taken with a grain of salt.
Could Iceland Be the Opening — Before the Title Sequence?
Based on the reveal trailer alone, it would have been easy to read the Iceland Incident as a flashback from Bond’s memories — a formative event recalled later rather than experienced directly. Game Informer’s coverage, however, reframes that assumption. Author Brian Shea refers to the Iceland Incident as part of an “early sequence” and notes that the helicopter crash is only one component of that incident. While it remains unclear whether Shea witnessed this sequence during the hands-off demonstration or learned about it through developer conversations, the way the article presents it strongly suggests that Iceland is encountered early in the game itself, before Bond formally joins MI6.
This aligns with long-standing rumours from summer 2025, when Iceland was already discussed as a potential prologue. The question now is whether it could be something even more specific: a pre-title opening, in the tradition of classic Bond films. Structurally, the idea fits. Bond escaping a catastrophic situation at the very last moment is a familiar Bond rhythm — yet the tone here feels noticeably different.
Unlike traditional Bond openers, which usually showcase 007 at his peak — composed, in control, and effortlessly capable — the Iceland Incident comes across as something far more dramatic and potentially traumatic for Bond. Rather than affirming his mastery, the moment seems to underline how deeply such a failure could mark a younger, less experienced version of the character. This contrast feels closely tied to IO Interactive’s approach: Bond is not yet the polished agent audiences know, and early missions appear to leave stronger, more lasting impressions on him.
At the same time, Greenway’s criticism — labelling Bond’s behaviour as “insubordination,” “lack of discipline,” and his survival as “pure luck” — is striking, because these are precisely the traits that later come to define 007. Acting on instinct, bending rules, and surviving against the odds are already present here, just not yet framed as virtues. In that sense, the Iceland Incident does not undermine the classic Bond archetype, but traces its origins — showing the raw foundations of the agent Bond will eventually become.
At this point, I would cautiously assume that the Iceland Incident is presented as a largely passive, highly cinematic sequence, rather than a fully interactive gameplay segment. That would allow 007: First Light to open in a filmic way, establish tone and stakes, and transition naturally into the title sequence — while leaving room for the game’s more hands-on introduction to follow later, once the player is properly situated within the game’s structure.
Malta Confirmed – Training, First Contacts, and an Outsider Bond
Another notable confirmation in Game Informer’s coverage is Malta as a key location in 007: First Light. According to the article, Bond’s formal entry into the intelligence world begins with his first encounters with M, Q, and Moneypenny, before he is taken to a training facility on Malta.
While the piece does not explicitly map out every transition, the way these moments are described — and shown in earlier material — strongly suggests that these introductions take place in and around the Malta segment. The reveal trailer supports this interpretation: Bond is seen entering the lobby of Universal Exports, the MI6 front company, before Moneypenny invites him inside for their first meeting. If Bond were already in London, there would be little narrative need to receive him through a front operation rather than directly at MI6 headquarters, making Malta the more plausible setting for these first encounters.
Crucially, Malta comes across as a structured, tutorial-like training environment. Close-combat sparring and shooting-range drills read as guided learning moments, standing in clear contrast to the chaotic and emotionally driven Iceland Incident. The controlled spaces and repeatable activities suggest this is where the game begins to introduce Bond’s core abilities in a more systematic way.
Game Informer also notes that the other 00-Programme recruits Bond encounters on Malta are not only highly capable, but already six months ahead in their training when he arrives. While the article does not dwell on this point, it is a notable detail: it positions Bond as a late arrival and could create an interesting group dynamic, with Bond starting from behind and trying to close the gap.
The Grand Carpathian Level – Alternative Routes and Bond’s First Real Test
Game Informer highlights the Grand Carpathian Hotel level in Slovakia, including an alternative infiltration route shown during the visit to IO Interactive.
Rather than focusing on the suspicious bellhop, this route explains how Bond gains access to the hotel from the parking area. In the public gameplay reveal, he is denied entry at the press entrance. In the version described by Game Informer, Bond uses eavesdropping to learn about a whistleblower hiding a press badge in a flowerpot in the courtyard. Retrieving the badge allows Bond to pass security and enter the hotel openly — one of several possible approaches IO Interactive hints at.
The article then turns to what happens inside the hotel, before Bond is later seen storming out of the building to pursue Agent 009. While Game Informer avoids specifics, Hakan Abrak frames this section as a major turning point:
“What happens before we see him running out to the car to drive is something that propels him into the seriousness of the world that he’s chosen to be a part of… it’s one of the pivotal, point-of-no-return moments.”
This is where earlier footage starts to fall into place. In the announcement trailer, Bond is shown cornered in a basement-like space, grabbing a ceremonial sword mounted beneath a St. George crest. He is wearing the chauffeur outfit associated with the Grand Carpathian level, and the heraldic imagery fits the regional setting. While the Game Informer article does not explicitly connect this scene to the hotel, the visual continuity strongly suggests it belongs to the same narrative stretch Abrak is referring to.
From there, two plausible interpretations emerge. One is that Bond confronts the blond bellhop, revealed as a professional assassin. This aligns with later Kensington footage, where Bond tells Moneypenny the same man tried to kill him. For a younger Bond, such direct and personal lethal intent could be a first — and his battered appearance as he leaves the hotel suggests he barely escapes.
The other draws on classic Bond lore. Traditionally, earning the 00 licence involves a targeted kill. Bond may have been expected to stop — and possibly eliminate — the assassin, only to hesitate or fail. That failure, combined with his own near-death experience, could give the encounter a more personal, almost nemesis-like dimension.
Either way, the Grand Carpathian Hotel marks a clear escalation — the moment where Bond’s training gives way to real consequence.
Aleph, Mauritania – Scale, Freedom, and Player-Led Progression
One of the most notable new details in Game Informer’s coverage concerns how freedom is structured in 007: First Light. According to Hakan Abrak, openness in large locations like Aleph goes beyond offering multiple solutions to individual objectives. Players may also be able to tackle mission objectives in a self-chosen order, introducing non-linearity at the level of mission progression itself.
The newly published, exclusive concept art helps put that into perspective and reinforces a gameplay mix we had already suspected from earlier material. Aleph, the fictional coastal city in Mauritania, is built into a vast ship graveyard and ruled by the pirate king Bawma, played by Lenny Kravitz. The artwork shows Bond moving through black-market districts, blending into crowds as weapons are openly traded, quieter moments of observation with traders watching boxing matches on TV, and more dangerous situations, such as Bond stalking across the deck of a ship with his pistol drawn.
Taken together, these images suggest a level that naturally shifts between exploration, stealth, and direct confrontation, rather than following a fixed sequence. Aleph appears organised around parallel situations and objectives, spread across a dense, vertical environment, giving players room to decide where to engage first and how the mission unfolds. At times, it also seems to reward patience and curiosity in a way that will feel familiar to fans of IO Interactive’s Hitman games.
The Game Informer feature also stands out for the quality and amount of new concept art, including pieces from other locations such as Kensington. Browsing these pages was simply enjoyable and once again sparked the wish for a proper art book or high-quality prints for 007: First Light. If you want to see the artwork — and the full context behind these details — the article is well worth reading, either digitally or in print at the kiosk.
