GDC 2026: Kojima Cancels His Keynote, But the Indie Lineup Is Stacked

GDC Festival of Gaming starts in less than two weeks. It was supposed to be the event’s biggest comeback: a rebrand, cheaper tickets, and Hideo Kojima delivering the first keynote in five years. Then Kojima pulled out.

Kojima Productions posted a brief statement confirming that Hideo Kojima “is no longer able to attend this year’s GDC Festival of Gaming.” No reason was given. No replacement has been announced. The keynote was titled “Restarting from Zero: A Message to Creators Considering Independence” and would have explored how Kojima built his studio after leaving Konami a decade ago. For an industry still reeling from layoffs, the topic could not have been more relevant.

The good news: other Kojima Productions team members will still present sessions. And the rest of the week is loaded.

The Awards Are Stacked

Two nights of awards. Two very different lineups.

IGF Awards: Wednesday, March 11

Baby Steps leads the 28th annual Independent Games Festival with five nominations, including the Seumas McNally Grand Prize. Bennett Foddy (the QWOP creator), Gabe Cuzzillo, and Maxi Boch built a game where the entire challenge is learning to walk. Devolver Digital published it. Five nominations says the industry agrees it works.

Titanium Court follows with four nominations. Blippo+ also earned four nods. The full Grand Prize finalists: Baby Steps, Blippo+, Titanium Court, HORSES, Angeline Era, and Perfect Tides: Station to Station.

GDCA: Thursday, March 12

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the 2025 turn-based RPG from a 30 person French studio, leads the Game Developers Choice Awards with eight nominations, including Game of the Year. It is also nominated for Best Audio, Best Debut, Best Design, Innovation, Best Narrative, Best Technology, and Best Visual Art. If you read our earlier coverage of the game’s award run, this is not a surprise.

The full Game of the Year slate: Clair Obscur, Blue Prince, Donkey Kong Bananza, Ghost of Yotei, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Split Fiction. Two indie titles competing against major studio releases for the top prize.

Both ceremonies stream free on the GDC Twitch channel.

Day of the Devs: Saturday, March 8

The best part of GDC week does not require a badge. Day of the Devs: San Francisco Edition takes over The Midway on Saturday, March 8, with over 60 playable indie games. It is free and open to the public. A smaller pop-up runs inside Moscone from March 11 to 13 for badge holders.

The Jam @ GDC

For the first time, Global Game Jam is partnering with GDC for an on-site game jam. The Jam @ GDC runs March 8 to 9 at Moscone. Up to 100 participants get a GDC Festival Pass included. Teams of up to five build a game in roughly 36 hours. Solo attendees can be matched into teams on the spot. If you have never done a jam, this is a rare chance to do one surrounded by the industry.

What Indie Devs Should Focus On

If you are attending GDC this year, the unified pass structure means you are no longer locked out of sessions. Every Festival Pass holder ($649) gets the same access. That is 45% cheaper than last year’s All-Access pass. We covered the full breakdown in our complete GDC 2026 guide.

The Independent Games Summit runs all five days with dedicated indie talks. The full session schedule is live at schedule.gdconf.com. GDC Play is also open to anyone with a Game Changer Pass, giving small studios a chance to show their work on the expo floor.

For those watching from home, GDC Vault archives session recordings after the event. Digital Pass holders ($799) get immediate access. A selection of free talks goes public a few months later.

The Bottom Line

Losing the Kojima keynote stings. “Restarting from Zero” was exactly the talk the industry needed right now. But GDC 2026 still has a 30 person French studio competing for Game of the Year, the QWOP creator leading the IGF, 60+ free playable games, a game jam inside the convention center, and four nights of events.

The rebrand is real. The lineup is real. March 9 is less than two weeks away. Check our five indie games on our GDC radar for specific titles to track, and follow us for live coverage when the week begins.