Hideo Kojima has been announced as the first keynote speaker at the GDC Festival of Gaming 2026.
Titled “Relaunching from the Ground Up: A Message to Creators Thinking of Independence,” Kojima will chronicle the 10th anniversary of Kojima Productions from its founding through the development of its debut game (and subsequent franchise) Death Stranding.
As GDC noted, Kojima aims to “share his journey, pitfalls and creative satisfaction of starting over” following his time at Konami, where he created the Metal Gear franchise.
Kojima received Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2009 Game Developers Choice Awards.where he was noted for “his work in pioneering the stealth genre and advancing in-game storytelling.”
“Hideo Kojima is one of the most influential creative voices of our time, and his work has shaped the way the world experiences games,” said GDC President Nina Brown.
“Kojima-san's leadership of the GDC gaming festival sets the perfect tone for what this new era is all about: fearless creativity, bold ideas, and the evolution of the entire game-making ecosystem. His journey embodies the spirit of reinvention that now drives many in the industry.”
The GDC Festival of Gaming will take place in San Francisco next year from March 9th to 13th.
In September 2025 Game Developers Conference renamed GDC Festival of Gaming.
GamesIndustry.biz spoke with Informa Executive Director of Innovation and Growth Mark DeLura about rebranding.
DeLura reiterated that GDC “is still made by developers, for developers, [and] is aimed at developers,” and that its “distinctive features” include “reaching the city in a different way than before.”
