If you are waiting to preload 007 First Light before its May 27 launch, there’s some bad news. IO Interactive has confirmed that PlayStation 5 is the only platform that will allow players to preload the game before its release. If you are playing on Xbox Series X|S or PC, you will not be able to download the files early. The earliest moment you can start downloading the game will be when it officially unlocks in your region.
The confirmation came from an official IO Interactive community manager who replied in a thread on the game’s official subreddit. The message reads, “I unfortunately have to confirm that 007 First Light will not have a pre-load on Steam or Xbox. The earliest point to download the game on Steam and Xbox will be tied to the official release time. PlayStation will be the only platform with pre-load, as it is mandatory on the platform.”
While the exact reason was not officially explained in detail, the community manager confirmed that preload is only happening on PlayStation 5 because it is a mandatory rule set by Sony for games launching on the PlayStation Store. Another reason IO Interactive may have skipped preload support on PC and Xbox is to protect the game from being cracked or datamined before release. When a game is preloaded on PC, encrypted files are already stored on the user’s hard drive, which can give hackers and dataminers a chance to access the files early and leak information.
That may also be why Xbox preload was skipped. Since 007 First Light supports Xbox Play Anywhere, buying the game on Xbox also gives players the PC version for free. Because the Xbox and PC versions are connected, allowing preload on Xbox could have made it easier for the game files to reach PC users before launch and get leaked early.
In other news, IO Interactive wants 007 First Light to surpass GoldenEye 007 and become “the best Bond game ever.”
