Kondo cancels Aussie appearance

Australia's inaugural GO3 Electronic Entertainment Expo--which has long boasted an impressive list of speakers for its International Conference component--suffered a setback today, with Nintendo music maestro Koji Kondo pulling out on the eve of the expo's launch.

Kondo--the composer behind game classics such as the Super Mario Bros. and Legend of Zelda series--was set to attend and speak at the expo being held in Perth, Western Australia, from Friday, March 30, to Sunday, April 1. Kondo's trip to Australia was part of a publicity drive for PLAY! A Video Game Symphony, which is set to hit Sydney's Opera House for a weeklong season in June this year. A local spokeswoman for PLAY! said Kondo had to cancel his appearance due to "work commitments."

"Koji Kondo was looking forward to speaking and attending the conference. Unfortunately it is with much regret that due to an unforseen clash of work commitments, Koji Kondo will no longer be able to make it to the GO3 conference," the spokeswoman said.

Despite Kondo's last-minute withdrawal, the GO3 Expo isn't lacking for game developer star power. Key speakers include Metal Gear Solid supremo Hideo Kojima, Gears of War producer Rod Fergusson from Epic Games, Lumines creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi, World in Conflict game designer Nicklas Cederstrom, and more.

More information about GO3 can be found at the event's official Web site.