Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 Casts Hideo Kojima to Reprise Game Role

Updated: Oct 19, 2026 5:55pm UTCWhalefall, the movie that sees Austin Abrams attempt to fight his way out of the belly of a sperm whale, has a fan in Hideo Kojima. The Metal Gear Solid creator and serious movie buff shared his thoughts on the film over the weekend, revealing a love for whales that has been with him since school — but says Whalefall has, as a result, put him off snacking on squid. "It was a literary film that explored, in a somewhat metafictional way, the Steinbeck-like relationship between whales and humans as part of an ecosystem, alongside the familial bond between father and son. The visual effects were also outstanding. However, I don’t think I’ll be eating squid for a while," he wrote on Twitter/X. I watched “Whalefall.” I had received a copy of Daniel Kraus’s novel, on which the film is based, quite some time ago, but hadn’t had the chance to read it yet. Kraus was also involved in writing the screenplay. It was a literary film that explored, in a somewhat metafictional way, the Steinbeck-like relationship between whales and humans as part of an ecosystem, alongside the familial bond between father and son. The visual effects were also outstanding.

Cyberpunk Edgerunners’ second season is out tomorrow, and while I didn’t love the 10-episode story, I’m always down to return to Night City. There are so many familiar sights, and sometimes familiar faces, to see every time we go back. This time, you might recognize one face from not only Cyberpunk 2077, but also from belonging to one of the biggest names in the video game industry. Hideo Kojima, the director of the Metal Gear series, Death Stranding, and the upcoming, Xbox-led Physint, makes a brief appearance in Cyberpunk 2077 as Hideyoshi Oshima, a braindance producer who is visiting Night City during the events of the “Heist” quest. You can find him talking to other hotel guests as you scope out the area while on a job. The character has Kojima’s likeness, so if you know of the guy, it’s easy to spot him. Fast forward six years, and Hideyoshi appears once more in Edgerunners II. I was surprised when I saw him, and then just as the review embargo dropped early this morning, CD Projekt Red confirmed that yep, Kojima did return for the cameo. Spotting a familiar face, chooms? 👀 You may remember seeing him in Konpeki Plaza during The Heist in 2077.

The first season of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is filled with memorable moments that serve as the foundation to its story, moments that make the whole season feel like a kind of brutal, heartbreaking symphony in which every thread and refrain serves a purpose, all coming together in ways that make each element resonate with more power than it ever could on its own., It’s almost as ifStudio Trigger and CD Projekt Red knew they had to hit these incredible narrative highs and worked backwards from them, ensuring that every minute detail of its 10-episode run cleanly paved the way to its most memorable setpieces. I’m thinking of scenes like Edgerunners’ protagonist David Martinez watching his mentor Maine succumb to cyberpsychosis as Trigger depicts David’s immediate, gut-wrenching grief in the most visually disturbing way with a few seconds of detailed animation, as well as the final moments in which  netrunner Lucy, having dreamt of going to the moon for her entire life, finally makes it because of her lover’s actions. These only hit because Edgerunners uses every frame of animation to earn them.

So, You Can See Everything, huh? A few of us here at Kotaku saw Nathan Fielder’s documentary about Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of Theranos, a health tech company that was shut down after Holmes was convicted of defrauding investors in 2018. The basis of the accusations was that the company’s signature device, which Theranos claimed could accurately conduct a vast assortment of blood tests on a single drop of blood, didn’t work as investors were led to believe. The film documents her final weeks with her partner and children before having to surrender herself into federal custody in Bryan, Texas. Kenneth Shepard: And that’s only half of the Everything we See in this movie. So Ash, before we get into all there is to unpack, tell me, what was your knowledge of both Holmes and of Fielder’s work leading up to seeing this movie? Ash Parrish: So most of my initial exposure to Nathan Fielder had been against my will. My first run-in with his work was the first season of his HBO show The Rehearsal where I felt for him both kinship and revulsion.

Patricia is the former editor-in-chief of Kotaku, where she spent a decade writing and editing. Prior to that, she served as the Culture Editor at Polygon, and as a reporter at The Verge. Hernandez specializes in Pokémon TCG, Nintendo, and offbeat internet culture stories. Pokémon fans can show Jessie, James, and Meowth how it's done

Last month, IGN underwent its latest wave of brutal cuts. Longtime hosts Brian Altano and Seth Macy were among those laid off. They’re now launching their own independent network of gaming podcasts called X Button alongside Max Scoville, who also departed the organization amid its latest strategy shift. The news comes as IGN itself is backing away from its well-known gaming podcasts, Kotaku understands. “A couple weeks ago, you know, there was a slight shift in, uh, programming at our former employer, and we are now out into the great unknown and doing a brand new thing,” Altano said in the inaugural episode of one of the group’s new shows. “And hopefully by this time, by the time you’re hearing this, we’re all crying tears of joy because it worked out.” Housed on Patreon, the group has two podcasts so far. The first is called X Button, a general gaming show, and the second is called Ninfriendo 64, a show dedicated to Nintendo. “We’ll cover video game news, new game releases, and the classic games we still love today, all with the insight, passion, and humor you expect from us by now,” reads X Button’s About page.