Hideo Kojima pulls out of GDC keynote at the last minute

Hideo Kojima, the creator behind the Metal Gear series and the Death Stranding games, was due to headline this year’s Game Developers Conference but will no longer attend. The Kojima Productions X account posted a message saying, "We regret to inform you that Hideo Kojima will no longer be able to attend this year's GDC Festival of Gaming," apologising to fans and adding that other members of the team will still present during the week.

No reason for the sudden change was given. One possible explanation — travel cancellations tied to immigration and gender identity policies highlighted in a recent industry report — was dismissed in the post, since other Kojima Productions staff are still expected to attend.

GDC has reposted the studio’s message but has not otherwise confirmed or commented, and the Kojima keynote page on the conference website remains up. Kojima Productions has offered no further updates; the writer has reached out to the studio and will update if a reply is received.