Overview
- IO Interactive said on Monday, May 25 that 007: First Light will only offer preloading on PlayStation 5 and that Steam and Xbox users must start downloading at the game's official unlock time.
- The developer made the announcement on the game's official subreddit and apologized for earlier unclear communication about download timing.
- Reporting and developer comments point to platform publishing rules as the cause, with multiple accounts saying Sony requires preloading on PS5; no formal technical or corporate explanation has been released and piracy concerns remain speculative.
- Many players criticized the decision because the game is roughly 80 GB, pre-orders include a 24-hour early-access window for some buyers, and delayed downloads could eat into that promised play time.
- The release schedule remains: a general launch on May 27 with some pre-orders granting access on May 26, and IO Interactive still targets 60 FPS on most platforms except Xbox Series S, while community scrutiny of platform differences and developer communication is likely to continue.