Galway-based gaming legends Brenda and John Romero have been announced as the recipients of the inaugural GamerFest Lifetime Achievement Award for their outstanding contribution to the gaming industry both in Ireland and internationally.
Brenda and John, founders of Romero Games, were chosen as recipients for this award as a result of their unparalleled success in the game development world and their tireless work supporting gaming related projects and initiatives in Ireland.
Brenda Romero is a BAFTA award-winning game director, entrepreneur, artist and is currently game director and creator of the ‘Empire of Sin’ franchise. She has worked on 50 games and contributed to many titles, including the well-loved ‘Wizardry’ video game and the ‘Jagged Alliance’ series. John Romero is an award-winning game designer, level designer and programmer who has worked on over 130 games including legendary games ‘Wolfenstein 3D’ and ‘DOOM.’
After visiting Ireland in 2014, the husband-and-wife duo decided to move to Galway permanently and founded Romero Games, a move that has transformed the gaming industry in Ireland by offering career opportunities in the sector and contributing to the overall growth of gaming in Ireland. The Romero Games team released ‘Sigil’ the unofficial fifth episode of the 1993 video game ‘DOOM’ in 2019 and ‘Empire of Sin’ in 2020 which was directed by Brenda herself.
GamerFest takes place in Dublin’s RDS on October 22-23 and promises to be a jam-packed weekend of all things gaming including the latest games, esports, VR, special guests and live stage content. 5,000+ gamers will gather to celebrate the weekend for the first time since Covid in the RDS.
As well as Brenda and John Romero, content creators DeeBeeGeek, Antitinkerbell, Jamie Jay Car, The Gara Show and Miss Audrey will be special guests at GamerFest, Ireland’s biggest gaming and esports festival.
GamerFest CEO Stuart Dempsey said John and Brenda Romero are absolute giants of the gaming world and organisers are incredibly excited to welcome them to GamerFest this year.
“We couldn’t think of anyone more deserving of our inaugural GamerFest Lifetime Achievement Award. Since arriving in Ireland and establishing Romero Games, they have been wonderful supporters of the gaming community here, regularly making time in their busy schedules to support a huge array of gaming projects and initiatives.
“It’s fitting that they be honoured this way and we can’t wait to see them on the GamerFest Live Stage,” he said.
Brenda and John Romero said they are both so honoured to receive these awards, especially here in our adopted home of Ireland.
“The game development scene here is only going from strength to strength and we are delighted to be a part of it.
“More and more new developers join the industry each year, taught by the excellent institutions all around the country. We love seeing the excitement building as gaming gets bigger.”
