Gamescom Asia 2026 Day 1: A Missed Romero Talk and New Connections

Coffee, a Missed Romero Talk, and Conversations Worth Having

Our first day at gamescom asia x Thailand Game Show did not go entirely to plan. But the people we met made it worth showing up.

Featured photo courtesy of gamescom asia x Thailand Game Show.

Gamescom Asia x Thailand Game Show 2026 opened at Bangkok’s Queen Sirikit National Convention Center on October 29. Robelle and I arrived as accredited media for Fix Gaming Channel, ready for a day of meetings, conversations, and finding our way around the business area.

We had already covered the international lineup. The organizers’ opening-day release confirmed exhibitors from a record 29 countries and regions, including 20 national pavilions from 12 markets. Now it was time to meet some of the people behind it. First, however, there was a very important mission: coffee.

The Coffee Run That Cost Us John Romero

Running on almost no sleep, we set off looking for coffee and something to eat. That part was harder than it should have been. Then came the search for the right speaker stage, where John Romero, co-creator of DOOM and Quake, was appearing for his keynote, Why We Still Make Games.

We were about ten minutes too late and missed it. Not exactly the result we wanted after trying so hard to get there. Apparently, coffee is not a substitute for sleep, and it certainly does not help when you cannot find the stage in time. Lesson learned. Probably.

We also briefly caught up with James from the event’s PR team. He was busy making his rounds, so it was a quick hello rather than a proper conversation.

More From Gamescom Asia

Follow our reporting on the games, developers, and people shaping the event in Bangkok.

Meanwhile, on the Stages We Were Trying to Find

According to the organizers’ October 29 press release, John Romero spoke with Evva Karr, CEO of Glitch, about more than four decades in game development, the setbacks he has faced, and why new ideas are essential. The release quoted Romero saying, “I love indie games. There’s tons of new ideas there…” We missed the keynote ourselves, so those remarks come from the official report, not our own interview.

The Stage 1 program also featured AdHoc Studio co-founders Nick Herman and Dennis Lenart discussing Dispatch, a Ubisoft discussion about revisiting established game franchises, and Bloober Team CEO Piotr Babieno on the long-term appeal of horror titles such as Cronos: The New Dawn.

On the business side, PlaySide, Focus Entertainment, Fireshine Games, and Team17 took part in a Reverse Pitch, outlining what they want to fund. The program also included discussions about AI in development and networking sessions for studios, publishers, and investors. All of these highlights are from the event’s press release rather than sessions we attended.

Good Conversations at the Philippine Pavilion

Things picked up when we visited the Philippine Pavilion. There, we met people from GameOps and Buko Studios and talked with Jerico Gloria and Kristen “Kikx” Cabalda-Caro. It was the kind of conversation we came to Bangkok for: getting to know the people and organizations contributing to the games industry, rather than rushing from one announcement to another.

GameOps works across game support, quality assurance, and live operations, while Buko Studios provides art and creative production services. We also discussed staying in touch about opportunities and industry events next year, including GameDev Summit 2027, scheduled for February 15–17 at Hilton Clark Sun Valley Resort in Clark, Philippines. Those are conversations to follow up on, not confirmed coverage plans yet.

Different Countries, One Industry

Throughout the day, we had conversations with people from across Asia, including Japan, and even met someone from Russia. That international mix is one of the reasons events like this are worth attending. Our own small Fix Gaming Channel team spans Norway, the Philippines, the UK, and the US, so meeting people from different parts of the industry felt especially fitting.

Some conversations were about games and future stories. Others were simply about getting to know people, sharing experiences, and seeing where our interests overlap. You cannot plan every useful encounter before walking through the doors.

Editorial Work, and Separate Fix Access Conversations

Alongside our independent coverage and interview discussions for Fix Gaming Channel, we also had conversations about Fix Access, our separate work in mock reviews, professional playtesting, and game analysis. The two have different purposes, and we keep their editorial and commercial activities separate.

Fix Access is separate from Fix Gaming Channel editorial coverage. Using Fix Access does not guarantee coverage, reviews, interviews, articles, posts, videos, or publication.

On to Day 2

So, no John Romero keynote for us on Day 1. But we came away with some great conversations, new people to follow up with, and a reminder of why we keep showing up: the games are important, but so are the people behind them.

Now, let’s head over to Day 2.

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