Titled “Restarting from Zero: A Message to Creators Considering Independence,” the keynote marks GDC’s first in five years and signals the event’s transformation into the GDC Festival of Gaming, a global gathering for the full game-making ecosystem, returning to San Francisco on March 9–13, 2026. Registration is now open at gdconf.com.
Widely regarded as the father of the stealth genre, Hideo Kojima is credited with revolutionizing storytelling and cinematic presentation in video games, and pushing the boundaries of the medium in the process. Founding his own independent studio, KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS, in December 2015, the development studio quickly established itself with its debut title, DEATH STRANDING (2019), which earned numerous awards and global acclaim.
Its sequel, DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH, which launched on PlayStation®5 in 2025, continues Hideo Kojima’s bold creative vision, blending emotional storytelling with a cinematic ensemble cast. Other projects include the title OD, in partnership with Xbox Game Studios, as well as numerous projects for the DEATH STRANDING franchise, including a live-action film adaptation with independent entertainment company A24, an animated series and film, as well as a completely new and original action-espionage IP, PHYSINT (working title).
In 2009, Hideo Kojima received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Game Developers Choice Awards in recognition for his work pioneering the stealth genre and furthering in-game narrative. That was followed by BAFTA Fellowship in 2020, the highest accolade bestowed by BAFTA upon an individual in recognition of exceptional contribution to film, games, or television.
With its themes of independence and creative inspiration, Hideo Kojima’s keynote reflects the inclusive values of GDC Festival of Gaming as a whole, which is evolving to address today’s broader, interconnected games industry, bringing together game-makers, publishers, distributors, investors, founders, technologists, toolmakers, marketers, educators, and media in a single week of game changing connection, discovery, and learning.
“Hideo Kojima is one of the most influential creative voices of our time, his work has shaped how the world experiences games,” said Nina Brown, President of GDC. “Having Kojima-san headline the GDC Festival of Gaming 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.”
Amid the major changes and ongoing restructuring within the games industry, many creators may be looking to take leaps of faith to independence and committing fully to their own vision and passions. Hideo Kojima’s keynote address, “Restarting from Zero: A Message to Creators Considering Independence,” will take place the morning of Thursday, March 12 and will reflect on the creation of KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS with personal insights into building a studio, developing projects, establishing a brand, and connecting with fans. From early creative concept development to finding a physical office space to work from and finding world-class talent to occupy that space, Hideo Kojima will share his journey, the pitfalls and the creative fulfillment of starting all over again.
GDC Festival of Gaming is a week-long industry celebration featuring immersive experiences inside the Festival Hall, expanded networking through new activities like GamePlan, a nightly lineup of community-driven events with GDC Nights, and a new executive-level content program, the Luminaries Speaker Series. It’s designed to drive connection, discovery, and collaboration for everyone who imagines, builds, ships, markets, scales, and sustains the world’s most impactful, successful games.