Hideo Kojima pulls out of GDC at the last minute

Hideo Kojima knows a thing or two about making videogames—he's made a few you may have heard of, like the Metal Gear series and the Death Stranding games. That's probably why he was set to headline this year's Game Developers Conference as its keynote speaker. But with GDC now just a month away, there's bad news for the conference and everyone hoping to hear what he had to say, because he's not going to be there.

Word of the last-minute withdrawal came from the Kojima Productions X account:

"We regret to inform you that Hideo Kojima will no longer be able to attend this year's GDC Festival of Gaming," the message says. "We understand that this will be disappointing for fans and attendees who were looking forward to hearing him speak, and we want to offer our deepest apologies. While Hideo Kojima is unable to attend in person, Kojima Productions is still excited to be part of this year's festival, with members of the team presenting during the week."

A reason for the sudden change in plan wasn't given, so my initial thought went to the recent GDC State of the Game Industry Report, which found that nearly one-third of non-US game developers have cancelled plans to travel to the country because of immigration and gender identity policies. The theory doesn't really hold up, though, because as the message states, other members of Kojima Productions will still be attending the conference.

There's been no further updates on the matter from Kojima Productions, and maybe more interestingly, GDC has reposted the studio's message but has otherwise not confirmed or commented on it. As I write this, the Kojima keynote page on the GDC website is also still up, perhaps suggesting that the conference was caught by surprise by the cancellation.

Whatever the reason, it's led to considerable speculation and concern online, and more than a few complaints about jump-scare reactions to the announcement's "we regret to inform you that Hideo Kojima..." intro.

It's also a blow for GDC. Kojima's planned address, 'Restarting from Zero: A Message to Creators Considering Independence,' sounds like it would be particularly relevant at a time of ongoing instability throughout the games industry. That was echoed by GDC president Nina Brown, who said Kojima's presence as keynote speaker "sets the perfect tone for what this new era is all about: fearless creativity, bold ideas, and elevating the entire game-making ecosystem. His journey embodies the spirit of reinvention that so many in the industry are navigating right now."

GDC declined to comment on the cancellation. I've reached out to Kojima Productions and will update if I receive a reply.