007 First Light's Audio & Mission Director on Creating the Ultimate Spy Sandbox

In this episode of Bonfire Conversations, I sit down with Dominic Vega, the Audio and Mission Director for 007 First Light at IO Interactive.Dominic pulls back the curtain on how the studio engineered an immersive, unpredictable sandbox for the ultimate espionage fantasy. We dive deep into his unique double-role at IO Interactive, the technical mastery behind combining Wwise and the Glacier engine, and the core philosophy of "Always Be Mixing" in open-ended game design.We also discuss his professional journey from music production to an internship at Insomniac Games, building Avalanche Studios' Malmö branch for the Just Cause series, and how he collaborated with composers The Flight to craft a fresh but deeply nostalgic musical identity for 007.If you are a game developer, sound designer, or a massive James Bond fan, this behind-the-scenes masterclass is packed with industry insights you won't want to miss!👥 ABOUT THE GUESTDominic Vega is an industry-veteran audio designer and developer. His extensive portfolio includes work on the Just Cause series, League of Legends, and his critically acclaimed dual role as Audio Director and Mission Director for IO Interactive's 007 First Light.🔔 Subscribe to Bonfire Conversations for more deep-dive interviews with world-class game developers and creators. The podcast is available on YouTube and all the major podcast streaming services.Chapters:0:00 - Intro: Dominic Vega & 007 First Light1:15 - Journey from Music to Game Audio3:36 - Breaking in: The Insomniac Internship4:48 - Designing Open-World Systems for Just Cause6:07 - Building Avalanche Malmö from Scratch7:30 - Joining IO Interactive for Bond8:41 - Transitioning to Mission Director11:24 - Audio Mixing in Unpredictable Sandboxes12:28 - Core Philosophy: Always Be Mixing14:38 - Dialogue & the License to Kill System17:53 - Technical Setup: Wwise & Glacier18:16 - Realistic Crowds & the Cocktail Effect22:24 - Guiding the Player with Smart Audio23:48 - Day in the Life of a Mission Director25:19 - Subtraction & Campaign Pacing27:49 - Collaborating with The Flight on the Score29:48 - Scoring the State of Play Chess Mission30:58 - Balancing Nostalgia with Earning the Themes42:08 - Outro & Wrap-Up#007firstlight #sounddesign #leveldesign