In a message of gratitude to his supporters on Twitter, Hideo Kojima revealed that the scanning and filming for what is expected to be one of his upcoming titles, Overdose, had to be put on hold earlier this year due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
The SAG-AFTRA strikes 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 on issues such as compensation and the unauthorized use of performers’ images for AI applications.
In 2024, SAG-AFTRA also initiated strikes against video game companies. Thousands of actors participated, leading to a halt in various video game productions during this period.
“For OD [Overdose], we developed the game and conducted actor and environment scanning,” wrote Kojima. “In the latter half of the year, scanning and filming were halted due to the SAG strike. Casting was also put on hold for Physint due to the strike. We aim to resume next year.”
Kojima did not indicate whether this situation caused any delays for Overdose, but it is known that GTA 6 has not faced delays due to the strike actions. This is likely because games that were already in development for a year were not impacted, so it seems that Overdose hadn’t been in development for very long at all. Other aspects of the game, such as writing and maintenance, likely continued unaffected throughout the actors’ strikes.
Thank you for all of your support in 2024. It was a year filled with numerous challenges: DS2 development, the release of our second trailer, ADR for the actors, music production and recording, Japanese voice recording. In the summer, we began to play and build up the game. We had been also ready… pic.twitter.com/rozzqtCsPHDecember 31, 2024
It seems that Death Stranding 2 was not affected, as Kojima mentions: “It was a year filled with 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 enthusiasts of gaming, we all dislike delays, but I believe it’s even more important that the individuals responsible for creating the games we love have fair working conditions, are compensated ethically, and feel satisfied in their roles. Therefore, while a delay can be disappointing, it is ultimately beneficial for the overall well-being and future of the industry.
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I’m Issy, a freelancer who you might occasionally see here covering news for GamesRadar. I’ve always had a passion for gaming, but I honed my writing skills while pursuing my Film and TV degrees at the University of Warwick and contributing to the student publication, The Boar. After university, I worked at TheGamer before leading the news section at Dot Esports. Now you can find me freelancing for Rolling Stone, NME, Inverse, and many other outlets. I enjoy anything horror-related, story-driven, and indie games, and I primarily play on my PS5. Currently, I’m working through my backlog and enjoying Dishonored 2.
