007 First Light Branded 'Woke' For Following Iconic James Bond Movie Tradition

James Bond is back behind the wheel of his Aston Martin for 007 First Light, and thankfully, it seems like we've got another certified smash on our hands with 007 First Light. It's been 73 years since Ian Fleming first penned Casino Royale, while it's been 44 years since James Bond first popped up in Shaken but Not Stirred on the ZX Spectrum. We've come a long way from text adventure James Bond games, with everything from GoldenEye 007 to James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing having us throwing our money at the suave spy.

Aside from 2023's Cypher 007 mobile game, the last 'true' outing was the notoriously maligned 007 Legends in 2012. Thankfully, it seems that patience is a virtue, as First Light is already being called one of the best Bond games of all time. In a year as packed with video games as 2026, IO Interactive's 007 First Light is holding its own, although it faces stiff competition from Marvel's Wolverine and the juggernaut that is GTA VI. Of course, it's the critics who are louder than the supporters.

Why Is 007 First Light Being Called Woke?

It's a tale as old as time, but yet again, people are taking issue with James Bond having a female boss. While it's true that M was established as male in Fleming's novels, and was originally played by Bernard Lee for years in the movies, she's portrayed by Priyanga Burford in 007 First Light. Burford is no stranger to the Bondverse, having previously played a government scientist in No Time To Die. Posting on X, Yorch Torch Games slammed the idea of Bond being told what to do by women in general, adding: "007 First Light's James Bond is being bossed around by a woman."

Referring to it as a 'disaster', it seems the opinion has divided gamers across the internet.

Agreeing with the OP, some claimed it should be renamed 007 Woke Light, while another joked, "License to DEI."

It's the quote tweets where things get interesting, as one person said: "Bro, there's a huge bit further where he directly disobeys her - like JAMES BOND DOES. The fact that she's a woman has nothing to do with anything. Grow the f**k up.

Thanking the developer, they concluded: “Huge shout out to @IOInteractive for revealing to what extent you people are just a bunch of cringey whiny b*stards."

Someone else mused, "M was a woman for nearly 20 years. These misogynistic and bigoted tourists can p*ss off and stop pretending they were Bond fans or ever going to buy it."

There's also a brutal takedown in the community notes, where we're reminded that Bond being 'bossed around by a woman' isn't exactly new.

James Bond's Female Boss Was Established In 1995

Casting our minds back, the idea of a female M was first used in 1995's GoldenEye (the movie). Played by the legendary Judi Dench, M famously quipped: "I think you're a sexist, misogynist dinosaur. A relic of the Cold War, whose boyish charms, though wasted on me, obviously appealed to that young woman I sent out to evaluate you."

Still, after 16 movies of M being played by a man, it didn't really matter as Dench quickly cemented herself in the role. That turn was so iconic, she again played M in the rebooted Daniel Craig era and famously bowed out with Skyfall. Dench's performance is just a small part of why some people consider Skyfall one of the best Bond movies. Indeed, she didn't appear physically in GoldenEye 007 when the OG was released on the N64, but when the title was modernised in 2010, Dench again reprised her role. These same people complaining about a female M seem to have fewer issues with Q being 'cool' in 007 First Light, but either way, most Bond fans seem to be fine with IO's revamp.

READ MORE: 007 First Light Slammed Over 'Embarrassingly Bad' NPCs As Fans Rush To Its Defence