'Sometimes we are simply scene setting, other times we are helping shape the emotional moments, or enforcing the action' — 007 First Light composers explain how they scored the game to serve both the narrative and the player

• 007 First Light composers Joe Henson and Alexis Smith say they joined the project 18 months before release
• The composers were able to see a "vertical slice" of the game, which allowed them to "see what the vision for the project really was"
• The duo say the game's "cinematic" style sections allowed them to compose a score to serve the narrative and the player

Joe Henson and Alexis Smith, the composers for 007 First Light's soundtrack, joined the project very early by industry standards and could write the score based on advanced footage.

"If I remember correctly, we came on board about 18 months before release," Smith said in an interview with TechRadar Gaming. "In the film and TV world, that would be very early, but with games that’s relatively late on."

Smith revealed that with First Light, IO Interactive had a "vertical slice" of the game "already at an advanced level, so he and Henson "could see what the vision for the project really was."

"We still had enough time to feel fully integrated into the audio team at IO Interactive, and to be able to influence gameplay from a music point of view," Henson added. "They are a very welcoming group of people, very open to new ideas and suggestions, and we feel we have made some firm friends."

The composers explained that for a score like 007 First Light, their primary goal was to give the Bond franchise "a gentle nudge into the modern day, without completely reinventing it," and the cinematic nature of the game allowed them to compose a score that not only served the narrative, but the player.

"There are a lot of 'cinematic' style sections in this game where the music can work more like a traditional non-interactive score, but there are also a lot of parts where the music must guide and inform the player," Smith said.

Henson explained that video game projects are always a "mixture" of composing for the game and for the player who can enjoy the game through the music, and it's "one of the reasons we love working on them."

"Sometimes we are simply scene setting, other times we are helping shape the emotional moments, or enforcing the action," he continued.

"Although for most of the time we hope the player barely notices we are there, the worst thing for an interactive sequence is for the music to jar in some way, to be too intrusive, destroying the immersion and pulling the player out of the game."

The Flight’s soundtrack for 007 First Light is nominated in the Best Original Video Game Score category at the Ivors Composer Awards, which are taking place at Grosvenor House in London on November 17, 2026.