007 First Light reviews raise concerns, with codes sent days before release date

Indecisive buyers may need to wait longer than expected for 007 First Light reviews. Word has spread that IO Interactive didn’t begin sending codes to journalists until May 22nd. These writers will have to scramble to complete the roughly 20-hour-long James Bond adventure before its May 26th early access release date.

Wccftech editor KaiPow leaked the rushed timeline on the ResetEra forums. To make matters worse, it’s a holiday weekend in the U.K., U.S., and several other countries. A Monday bank holiday and Memorial Day only add to the crunch. For Steam, Xbox, and PS5 gamers who haven’t pre-ordered, the launch is set for March 27th.

Speculation about First Light issues

Fans are debating why the publisher hesitated to provide websites with copies of the spy-adventure. The most pessimistic followers worry that there are technical issues in the final build. Originally slated for March, IO Interactive postponed the 007 First Light release date. The polishing process likely included optimizing graphics.

What’s puzzling is that hands-on previews for the title have been largely positive. Players noted that, despite inconsistent frame rates in initial footage, the smooth visuals alleviated those concerns. With performance mode on the Xbox Series X and PS5, developers are targeting 60 fps.

For PC users, the controversial late addition of Denuvo DRM may slightly compromise performance. It’s also possible that there were other bugs not addressed until recently, or that won’t be eliminated until after May 26th.

The growing impact of piracy and leaks

Piracy could also be a motivating factor for the publisher. Recently, playable Steam builds of Forza Horizon 6 and Subnautica 2 appeared several days before their official debuts. SteamDB, which keeps tabs on Valve’s marketplace, believes that reviewers were the culprits. That said, there is still a window of opportunity to leak First Light, and Denuvo is now less of an obstacle for hackers.

Regardless of the reason, the last-minute 007 First Light review embargo puts websites in a difficult position. Even if journalists sacrifice their holiday plans and finish the campaign, it leaves little time for the often tedious writing process. James Bond fans may gain more insight from Steam impressions on its release date.