Santa Monica Game Developers to Meet at E3

As tens of thousands of people prepare to descend on downtown Los Angeles next month for the video game industry’s premier convention, so too are a handful of Santa Monica’s developers.

The Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, drew more than 68,400 people last year, some 18,000 more than in 2016. This year’s attendance is expected to increase significantly this year with the introduction of gamer passes, which allow video game fans to purchase tickets to the expo that was has been only open to industry professionals in the past.

Santa Monica is home to a number of major and independent video game developers, including Activision Blizzard, Amazon Game Studios, Beachhead Studio, First Contact Entertainment, Giant Sparrow, Naughty Dog, PlayQ, BlueHole, Riot, Sony, and Treyarch.

One of the largest game makers in the country, Activision pulled in close to $5 billion in 2015. The company is nestled away in the 1-million-square-foot Santa Monica Business Park on Ocean Park and is probably best known for its first-person shooter Call of Duty franchise.

Photo: Activision Blizzard