The buzz at E3 Expo,the big daddy of video game trade shows,was more intense this year than in recent years.
And no wonder: The big three video game console makers, Sony Corp., Microsoft Corp. and Nintendo Co., all showed off their forthcoming boxes at Staples Center in Los Angeles this week.
E3 had the usual array of cute young models with bright colored hair marketing the latest games and gadgets. There even was a cameo appearance by child actor Gary Coleman.
Several Orange County companies were on hand, from game developers to Lake Forest disk drive maker Western Digital Corp., which makes drives for Microsoft’s current Xbox.
Cypress-based Bandai Games Inc., the U.S. game unit of Tokyo’s Bandai Co., had one of the busier booths, with a large video screen and free T-shirts.
Newport Beach-based The Collective, part of Los Angeles-based Foundation 9 Entertainment Inc., had its first booth at E3 this year.
Irvine-based Atlus USA Inc., the North American arm of Japan game maker Atlus Co., had one of the more notable displays, with elegant Japanese shoji screens.
Like other trade shows, E3 has grown into a spectacle where being seen there is as important as doing business.
For more on this story, see the May 23 issue of the Business Journal.
