Dan Houser Insists Spy Games Don’t Work — 007 First Light Could Prove Him Wrong
Grand Theft Auto co-creator Dan Houser didn’t just reminisce with Lex Fridman — he dropped sharp takes on spy story games and finally shed light on Agent, Rockstar’s most notorious canceled project.
Dan Houser, the guy who co-created Grand Theft Auto, went on Lex Fridman’s podcast and basically said spy stories don’t work as video games. Strong take. And kind of ironic, considering Rockstar once tried to make a spy game and shelved it. Meanwhile, IO Interactive is lining up a James Bond game for March 2026 and seems very ready to disagree.
Rockstar’s long-lost spy game, finally explained
Remember Agent? It’s one of Rockstar’s more famous ghosts. Teased back in 2007 and formally announced in 2009 as a PlayStation 3 exclusive, the pitch was clear: espionage, counterintelligence, assassinations, and Cold War tension. Then it vanished.
Houser says the project “never really found its feet,” even after the team tried five different versions, bouncing between Cold War and modern-day setups. The issue, according to him, was structural: spy thrillers tend to be built around urgent, ticking-clock missions, and that clashes with the looseness of an open world where players are free to just wander off.
“I’ve concluded... what makes them really good as film stories makes them not work as video games. We need to think through how to do it in a different way, as a video game.”
He also pointed out that while open worlds can deliver those high-tension moments, most of the time they’re intentionally relaxed. In other words: great for chaos and freedom, not great for nail-biting spy drama. Agent never reached a playable state, staff were gradually reassigned to help finish Grand Theft Auto V, and while Take-Two kept renewing the Agent trademark for years, it was officially abandoned in 2018.
There’s been renewed curiosity lately thanks to leaks. The 2023 GTA 5 source code leak included internal documents, and one of them (about seabed design, of all things) used references from Agent — codenamed “jimmy” — suggesting Rockstar had been repurposing or at least referencing its assets. And on October 23, 2025, insider Lucas7yoshi_RS shared early screenshots and concept art that lined up with that history. The look tracks with GTA IV’s tone and visuals, which fits the era when Agent was in active development. It’s a very behind-the-scenes breadcrumb trail, but it paints a picture of a project that existed in pieces more than as a game anyone could actually play.
- 2007: Agent teased
- 2009: Announced as a PS3 exclusive
- Early 2010s: Multiple reworks; never becomes playable; staff drift to GTA V
- 2018: Agent trademark officially abandoned
- 2023: GTA 5 source leak surfaces documents referencing Agent (codename “jimmy”)
- Oct 23, 2025: Leaked screenshots and concept art hit social media
IO Interactive is taking the shot with Bond
Cut to now: IO Interactive — the Hitman studio that lives and breathes stealth-sandbox design — has 007 First Light on the calendar for March 2026. The team is calling it “the ultimate spycraft fantasy” (via GamesRadar). If any studio can balance style, stealth, and player freedom without losing the urgency that makes spy stories hum, it’s probably the Hitman people.
The smart read here is that IOI isn’t trying to do a GTA-style open world. Expect large, interconnected sandboxes where each mission is its own pressure cooker. That approach keeps the player choice Houser loves, but within time-sensitive scenarios that actually feel like a spy thriller. Think less endless city to mess around in, more layered playgrounds built for cause-and-effect stealth — similar in spirit to how recent single-player adventures have handled big, contained environments.
So who’s right?
Houser’s perspective comes from years of trying to make Agent work, and he’s not wrong about open-world design rubbing against spy-thriller pacing. But IOI’s model suggests the solution isn’t to abandon the genre — it’s to reshape the structure. Put the urgency inside each mission, not across an entire free-roam map, and you might get the best of both worlds.
We’ll find out in March 2026 if 007 First Light overturns Houser’s thesis or proves it. Until then: would you actually want a full GTA-style spy open world, or do you prefer tight, high-stakes missions with room to improvise?