IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak says that the studio’s recently-released 007 First Light is approaching three million copies sold, and while the game has yet to recoup its budget the goal is well below the $200 million budget previously reported. He says that conversations are ongoing about how the firm will work with Bond licence owner Amazon beyond the first year of content for the game.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz following an event in LA at which the firm formally announced the game had sold 2.7 million copies since its release less than two weeks ago, Abrak says the game had “probably” already passed three million units, describing its sales as “a good mile above what we estimated”.
He pushes back on previous reporting that the game had cost $200 million to make. That figure included “marketing, future [performance-related] bonuses and all those things,” he says. “So it’s less of an investment than that.”
“We haven’t completely recouped yet because there’s a partnership as well, and royalties. But it’s above all our dreams and expectations,” he says. “It’s going to be a massive, massive record for us and by all measures it’s going to be a huge new success.”
The developer announced a slate of upcoming content for the game’s first year, the bulk of which will be released for free. Abrak says it is “very possible” the firm will continue to support the game beyond the first year. “We’re just, high level, talking about year one,” he says. “I absolutely hope that players stick around and we do some awesome stuff year two as well.”
The firm is having “ongoing conversations” with Amazon about the future, Abrak says, but at present “we’re just talking about First Light, and the live tail of it.”
“We will soon sometime in the future be talking about the future plans between Amazon and IOI.”
