John Romero, co-founder of id Software and co-creator of Doom, Quake and Wolfenstein 3D, has been confirmed as the headline keynote speaker for Gamescom Asia x Thailand Game Show 2026 in Bangkok. His keynote, titled "Why We Still Make Games", will reflect on his long career, industry setbacks and the challenges the games industry has faced in recent years, a topic given extra resonance by recent turmoil at both id Software and his own studio.

Romero left id Software around three decades ago but recently voiced support for staff affected by layoffs at the studio this month, part of wider restructuring at Xbox. His own studio, Romero Games, also had an unannounced shooter cancelled in 2025 after Microsoft reportedly withdrew funding. He joins other confirmed speakers including AdHoc Studio's Nick Herman and Dennis Lenart, Roblox's Zhen Fang and DigixArt's Yoan Fanise, with the event set to be the largest yet, spanning four halls and 35,000 square metres, running from 29 October to 1 November 2026 at Bangkok's Queen Sirikit National Convention Center.