In his keynote titled “Bridging Worlds: Nostalgia, Innovation, and the Future - A Journey with John Romero,” Romero will offer insights drawn from his extensive experience in video gaming, tailored to inspire and advance the mindset of the online casino sector. The keynote will feature as part of the ‘Product’ conference track and kick off the first day of the summit on Wednesday, 22nd May, at the InterContinental Hotel in Malta.

Romero commented: “The beauty of game design is that its core principles go beyond video games — you can use them in any industry where creating a positive experience for people is key.

“I'm really excited to present to an audience of casino experts and to share my own journey in creating some of the most successful video game titles out there. My keynote is all about inspiring casino developers to push boundaries, get creative, and build the kind of immersive experiences that really reel in players in new and exciting ways."

Hailed as the ‘father of first-person shooters,’ Romero boasts an illustrious career spanning over 40 years in the video gaming industry. Considered one of the earliest indie game developers, his initial work began in 1979, honing his skills on mainframes before making the move to Apple II in 1981. 

After programming indie games for eight years, Romero secured his first official industry job at Origin Systems in 1987, before co-founding the companies Inside Out Software (1988) and Ideas From The Deep (1989). In March 1989, Romero moved to Softdisk and would go on to establish the company's first PC Games division. 

In February 1991, Romero co-founded the gaming company id Software with fellow Softdisk colleagues John D. Carmack, Adrian Carmack and Tom Hall. His time at id Software marked the brightest period in his career, where he played an instrumental role in developing historic titles such as Doom, Doom II: Hell On Earth, Wolfenstein 3D, Commander Keen and Quake. During this period, Romero served as an executive producer and game designer on Heretic and Hexen and personally designed levels for Doom, Quake, Commander Keen and Wolfenstein 3D.

More recently, Romero and his wife Brenda Romero established Romero Games in August 2015, releasing the games Gunman Taco Truck in 2017, SIGIL in 2019 and Empire of Sin in 2020. In March 2022, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Romero created a new level of Doom II, with all proceeds going to the Ukrainian Red Cross. In July 2022, Romero released his first memoir ‘DOOM Guy’.  

Rasmus Sojmark, CEO and Founder of SBC said: “We're thrilled to welcome John Romero to CasinoBeats Summit. A true legend. As soon as his name appeared on my desk, it was an immediate yes. A trailblazer behind numerous honestly genre-defining video games, he's indeed the perfect keynote speaker to talk innovative game mechanics, creativity and how to make a hit, whether we're talking video gaming or casino.

"This is an incredible opportunity for game designers, developers and the broader industry to get a glimpse into the inner workings of an industry that has on multiple occasions inspired ideas behind slot games and other casino products."

During the keynote, Romero will reminisce about his extensive career in the video gaming industry. He will look back at his most successful titles and provide delegates with insights that transcend industry barriers, inspiring them and helping them innovate the casino gaming landscape. 

Additionally, he will feature on the “Tomorrow’s Jackpot: The Future Trends of Game/Slot Design” panel, a discussion focusing on innovations in slot design. Delegates can anticipate reflections on the latest groundbreaking technology, the future of casino entertainment and whether there are potential downsides to such innovations.