John Romero has been announced as the keynote speaker for the Gamescom Asia x Thailand Game Show.

Gamescom Asia x Thailand Game Show is set to feature id Software's co-founder John Romero as the main speaker at this year’s conference in Bangkok. His keynote, "Why We Still Make Games," will delve into his extensive experience in game development, adapting to industry challenges over the years.

In addition to Romero, speakers like Nick Herman and Dennis Lenart of AdHoc Studio, Roblox's Zhen Fang, Tencent's Jane Lau, Emilio Coppola from Godot, and DigixArt's Yoan Fanise are also scheduled. The event is slated for October 29th to November 1st in Bangkok.

John Romero, who runs Romero Games with Brenda Romero, recently remarked on the gaming industry's struggles, mentioning staff layoffs after a major publisher, thought to be Microsoft, withdrew funding for a significant FPS project in 2025. The company is now focusing on a smaller indie game inspired by the canceled project.

Gamescom Asia joined forces with Thailand Game Show in 2025, following four years in Singapore. This year promises a 20% increase in its exhibition space, expanding it to 35,000 square meters after a debut year with 206,169 visitors. Expected exhibitors include Nintendo, Capcom, Sega, the Pokémon Company, Bandai Namco, and AMD.

Prakash Ramajillu, General Manager of Asia-Pacific at Koelnmesse, stated, "Last year demonstrated Bangkok's capacity to host a major gaming event. We are expanding every aspect this year — more space, more brands, enhanced experiences, and featuring a legendary gaming figure on stage. The enthusiasm from the industry is tremendous, and this is just the beginning."