007 First Light has launched a cross-platform wishlist campaign with milestone rewards, but some users have criticized it as content-locking disguised as community effort. Read on to learn more about the campaign.
007 First Light Launches Cross Platform Milestone Campaign
Unlockable Cosmetics and Profile Flairs Upon Game Release
007 First Light has launched its wishlist campaign, inviting users across major platforms to add the upcoming third-person espionage action-adventure to their digital libraries. Framed as a mission briefing, the campaign calls on all agents to unite and reach collective milestone goals in exchange for digital rewards, culminating in a "top-secret" final reward.
"The mission is simple: rally together and unlock the Wishlist milestones for 007 First Light. With every milestone reached, new in-game and community rewards are unlocked, adding style, sophistication, and a secret reward."
As noted on the announcement, the campaign spans Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Epic Games Store, and Amazon. Once each threshold is met, developer IO Interactive will unlock the following rewards:
⚫︎ Milestone 1: Unique character skin and animated 007-themed wallpapers.
⚫︎ Milestone 2: Custom gadget skin and a bespoke streaming overlay.
⚫︎ Milestone 3: Deluxe agent skin plus a developer AMA (Ask Me Anything)
⚫︎ Milestone 4: Confidential — the final reward remains top secret.
First revealed in 2020, 007 First Light is IO Interactive’s original take on the James Bond universe. The game serves as a standalone origin story, depicting a younger Bond as he earns his 00 status. While gameplay footage remains limited, the studio has hinted at a mix of stealth mechanics, espionage-driven storytelling, and globe-spanning level design.
007 First Light is expected to release sometime in 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. For more on Dying Light: The Beast, catch the latest information in our article below!
Users Call Out Content-Locking Disguised as Community Effort
Steam community members have shared mixed reactions to the campaign’s purpose, largely due to growing concerns over predatory monetization practices. In the case of First Light, some users feel the campaign presents "content locking disguised as community effort."
One user drew comparisons to the controversial 2015 tiered-preorder system used for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, where increasing preorder numbers unlocked better rewards such as early access. "Did you learn this ‘Upgrade Your Pre-Order’ kind of thing from your past in Square Enix?"
Another wrote "Worse than splitting a game up into 50 'dlcs' and then offering 100 different packages, each with random different parts of the game included or forcing online only in a single player game? This is IO we're talking about, dogshii marketing strategy is basically their entire business model."
On the other hand, some users were more focused on expressing their disappointment. Users expect better from the team behind Hitman and hope the studio would offer more meaningful rewards, or release more gameplay footage to bolster trust among community members.
"To hold a streaming overlay hostage as a measure of gaining wishlists is pretty (redacted), come on IOI, please don’t go down this road. Give us new things as rewards instead of the threat of taking away basic old ones." A different comment would add, "im gonna need a proper gameplay showcase if you want me to wishlist."
Community campaigns are most effective when they are transparent and offer clear benefits to players. The future success of the game may depend on whether IO Interactive chooses to adapt or continue with their approach.
Source:
Official 007 First Light Page
007 First Light: Wishlist Milestone Steam Community Discussion
