Grant Kirkhope

Voice of Donkey Kong

Composer for Golden Eye 007, Perfect Dark, Mario + Rabbids, Donkey Kong

Appearing: Saturday and Sunday

Grant is an Ivor Novello and World Soundtrack Award winning, BAFTA nominated Scottish composer who has created the soundtrack for video games that have sold more than 40 million copies. From "GoldenEye" to "Banjo-Kazooie", "Viva Piñata" to "Donkey Kong", "Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning" to "Civilization: Beyond Earth" and "Perfect Dark" to "Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse". He’s worked on "Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle", "Yooka Laylee", "Dropzone", "Ghostbusters", "World of Warcraft: Shadowlands" and "Minecraft Dungeons". He is also the composer of the infamous "Donkey Kong Rap" from the Nintendo video game "Donkey Kong 64", which was featured in the recent "Super Mario Bros. movie".

Nolan Bushnell

Co-Founder of Atari

Appearing: Saturday ONLY

The Portland Retro Gaming Expo is honored to welcome one of the founding fathers of the global video game industry. In 1972, Nolan Bushnell created an industry when he co-founded Atari and gave the world Pong, the first blockbuster video game. Today his design credo—that games should be “easy to learn and difficult to master”—is inspiring a new generation of developers. A prolific entrepreneur, Bushnell has started more than 20 companies, including Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza Time Theater; Catalyst Technologies, the first Silicon Valley incubator; Etak, the first in-car navigation system; and uWink, the first touchscreen ordering, entertainment and check-out system at restaurant tables. In the process, he pioneered many of the workplace innovations that have made Silicon Valley a long-standing magnet for creative talent. Bushnell was the first and only person ever to hire Steve Jobs, which he details in his and co-author Gene Stone’s 2013 book, Finding the Next Steve Jobs. In October 2023 he released his second book, Shaping the Future of Education, which he co-wrote with Dr. Leah Hanes.
He is currently chairman of ExoDexa, a gamified education company, and an advisor to companies in the gaming and eSports spaces. Additionally, he sits on several boards, focusing on games, robotics and other advanced tech. A true icon of the digital revolution, Bushnell was named one of “50 People Who Changed America” by Newsweek. A biopic about Bushnell, tentatively titled “Atari,” was acquired by Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company and is in pre-production.
Nolan appears only on Saturday!

Ed Fries

Programmer, Vice President at Microsoft

Appearing: Saturday and Sunday

Ed Fries fell in love with video games as a teen and after an early career of programming games and screensavers he ended up working for Microsoft. There he led the team that created and released the original Xbox and brought the killer-app HALO franchise to Microsoft. As vice president of game publishing, he was also responsible for the acquisition of Bungie, Ensemble Studios and Rare. In 2010 Ed returned to his roots and programmed Halo 2600 for the Atari 2600 console.
Join Ed as he celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Xbox and HALO and talks about the history and origins of these properties.

Chris Huelsbeck

Composter, Musician

Appearing: Saturday and Sunday

Chris Huelsbeck is a legendary composer best known for his groundbreaking music in classic video games from the 1980s and 1990s. His iconic soundtracks for titles like Turrican, The Great Giana Sisters, and R-Type helped define the audio identity of the 8- and 16‑bit eras. With a career spanning more than three decades, Huelsbeck’s innovative melodies and technical mastery of early sound hardware have earned him a devoted global following. He continues to compose, perform, and remaster his work for modern audiences, keeping the spirit of retro gaming alive. His music remains a touchstone for fans who grew up with the golden age of home computing and consoles. We’re thrilled to welcome him to this year’s Portland Retro Gaming Expo!

G To The Next Level

EGA Historian, Content Creator

Appearing: Saturday and Sunday

Can you believe it? Sonic the hedgehog turns 35 this year! And joining the Portland Retro Gaming Expo to celebrate this special anniversary with us is content creator G To The Next Level - SEGA and Sonic fan extraordinaire! Join G to learn more about the origins, lesser-known iterations and fun facts of your favorite hedgehog!
Visit G To The Next Level on YouTube!