In a thank you message to fans on Twitter, Hideo Kojima reveals that scanning and filming for one of his next games, Overdose, had to be suspended earlier in the year due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
The SAG-AFTRA strikes first began in 2023 when members of the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and production companies like Disney and Netflix failed to reach an agreement over issues such as pay and the unauthorized use of performers' likenesses for AI.
In 2024, SAG-AFTRA also went on strike against video game companies. Thousands of actors went on strike, so it makes sense that a lot of video game work got put on hold during that time.
"For OD [Overdose], we developed the game and had actor and environment scanning," Kojima writes. "In the second half of the year, scanning and filming were suspended due to the SAG strike. Casting was also suspended for Physint due to the strike. We hope to resume next year."
Kojima didn't clarify whether this caused any delays for Overdose, but we know that GTA 6 hasn't been delayed by the strike action. This is because games that had already been in production for a year weren't being struck, so it would seem Overdose hasn't been in development for much time at all. Other work on the game such as writing and design was likely unaffected and continued during the actors' strikes.
Thank you for all your support in 2024. It was a year full of many things: DS2 development, the release of our second trailer, ADR for the actors, music production and recording, Japanese voice recording. In the summer, we started to play and build up the game. We were also able… pic.twitter.com/rozzqtCsPHDecember 31, 2024
It seems like Death Stranding 2 was unaffected, as Kojima states: "It was a year full of many things: DS2 development, the release of our second trailer, ADR for the actors, music production and recording, Japanese voice recording. In the summer, we started to play and build up the game."
As fans of games, none of us like it when they get delayed, but I think it's far more important that the people responsible for making the games we love have good working conditions and are happy, secure, and fairly paid. So, while a delay may be frustrating, it's worth it for the overall health and future of the industry.
While you're here, check out all the upcoming Hideo Kojima games, there's a lot to look forward to.
