IO Interactive Holds 007 First Light's Switch 2 Version Back Until Late Summer as PS5, Xbox, and PC Stay on May 27
IO Interactive will ship 007 First Light on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on May 27, 2026, but the Nintendo Switch 2 version slips to late summer as CEO Hakan Abrak insists on a polished port.
Overview
IO Interactive’s 007 First Light will arrive on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on May 27, 2026, but Nintendo Switch 2 owners will have to wait several more months. The studio confirmed in early April that the Switch 2 version is being held back to “later this summer,” according to Engadget, and IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak has since defended the decision in interviews as a quality call rather than a technical one.
What We Know
Engadget reported that the PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC versions remain on track for May 27, with the Switch 2 release pushed to later this summer. In its public statement, the studio said it was “looking forward to bringing you the best game experience possible across all platforms,” via Nintendo Life.
The split-platform timing makes 007 First Light the latest in a string of major releases that have separated their Nintendo launch from other consoles. Nintendo Life noted that the Switch 2 delay places the Bond title alongside Borderlands 4, High On Life 2, Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP, and Powerwash Simulator 2 DLC as games that have either skipped a same-day Switch 2 launch or pushed their port to a later window.
In a more recent interview surfaced by Nintendo Life, originally conducted by The Game Business, Abrak addressed the delay directly. “It’s running on the Switch 2. We just want to make sure it’s good as it can be,” he said. “I don’t want to hear it wasn’t a good version. To be completely honest, we need a bit more time to get it where we want it to be.”
Pressed on a more specific window, Abrak narrowed the target only slightly, telling the interviewer the Switch 2 release is “probably going be late summer,” as quoted by Nintendo Life. He also stressed that the studio is committed to the Nintendo platform: “Bond has a special place on Nintendo. And I promise I will do everything I can, and I can do quite a lot being the CEO, to get that in a great shape.”
The Switch 2 announcement is the second slippage for the project. According to Engadget, the game was originally scheduled for a March 2026 release before being pushed to May 27. TechRadar noted that the Switch 2 version was once on track for the same May 27 launch as the other platforms before being singled out for additional time.
What We Don’t Know
Neither IO Interactive nor publisher messaging has narrowed the Switch 2 release down to a specific date. Abrak’s “late summer” framing leaves a window of roughly August through early September, but no firm release date has been given.
IO Interactive has also not detailed which technical aspects of the Switch 2 build remain unfinished. The CEO’s statement that the game is “running on the Switch 2” implies a working build exists, but neither the studio nor Nintendo Life has surfaced details on resolution, frame rate, or feature parity targets.
Finally, the studio has not said whether the Switch 2 version will ship with the same content slate as the launch platforms or whether any post-launch updates released between May and the Switch 2 debut will be folded into the port at release.
Context
IO Interactive previously brought Hitman World of Assassination to the Switch 2, and that release “experienced launch issues that were later patched,” Nintendo Life reported. Abrak’s repeated insistence that he does not want to “hear it wasn’t a good version,” via Nintendo Life, reads as a direct response to that experience and to the wider perception that several third-party Switch 2 ports have shipped in compromised states.
The stakes are higher than a single port. By Abrak’s own framing in Nintendo Life, “Bond has a special place on Nintendo,” and a public retreat from a launch-day Switch 2 ship date positions the studio as choosing reputation over commercial alignment with the rest of the gaming calendar.