Los Angeles is one of the world’s premier tech hubs. In 2024, the city was tied 4th along with Tel Aviv in Isreal as the best by Startup Genome’s Global Startup Ecosystem Ranking. The rankings took patents and research into account, helping the Californian city score highly. Only Silicon Valley, London, and New York City were placed higher.
It’s hardly a surprise. California is largely considered to be a location in which the best technology can often be found to be developed. As highlighted, Silicon Valley is often the undisputed #1 location for the industry, with several tech-focused companies having set up shop in the region. In the last few years, we’ve seen it filter southward and create the Silicon Beach area, where new developments, ideas, and processes are being created.
The gaming industry has benefited greatly from LA’s emergence as a tech hub, with many studios having set their bases within the stars of Hollywood. Everyone from classic video and arcade game creators like Capcom to futuristic technology-focused studios working on developments such as virtual reality like 2Frogs Software call Los Angeles home. Large companies like Epic Games and Gameloft can also be found located within the city. Given the variety of game studios already available across the city, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see other niches within the sector move to the area.
Online casino studios may decide to make Los Angeles their new home in the future, as they could benefit from the infrastructure others are already enjoying. With companies able to use developing and emerging tech, there could be an opportunity available to developers looking to bring the best experiences to players who enjoy using a real money online casino for entertainment in the future. For example, if studios can implement VR into their games successfully while in the city, the iGaming sector may look at it positively, as it could be the next step in helping to make their titles more immersive.
Why has Los Angeles become a tech hub for gaming studios?
The 18.3 million-plus population of the metropolitan area of Greater Los Angeles (which encompasses the five counties) can be a telling reason explaining why the city has become a technological hub for the gaming industry. This makes it the second-largest in the USA, with only New York edging it. As revealed, aside from Silicon Valley (which is in California), the Big Apple is the only other location besides London to have been ranked better than LA for technology.
The population allows for the industry to grow at a potentially more significant rate compared to other locations. Entrepreneurs who decide to set up their startups and game studios in the city will have access to a much larger pool of potential employees, with many of them possessing the skills required to be successful. LA’s population can be more diverse than any other region because of the number of people who live here, allowing entrepreneurs to have the chance to select the right individuals.
It perhaps helps that Los Angeles is considered one of the entertainment leaders in the US, too. The city is synonymous with its creative arts, with movies and television studios located in places like Hollywood. They have a global reputation that attracts people worldwide who want to work in the industry. For game studios, it can be a great way to find talent to help them get further ahead. Many of the skills that are required to create the shows or films being produced can be transferred to game design and production. For instance, animators and storytellers can often apply the same skills to both entertainment sectors without too much trouble.
Los Angeles’ proximity to other technology hubs can also make the city a hub. The city has the infrastructure already in place, but it can benefit from those that are nearby, allowing game studios to potentially thrive within the area. As noted, Silicon Valley is north of the city (approximately 360ish miles) and is easy to access via various travel options. At the same time, San Diego has become a hub to the south of LA and is also easily accessible. Outside of California, locations like Seattle, are known as a tech hub for cloud computing, making it perfect for game studios in LA to collaborate with as the cloud has become an integral technology within the latest developments.
Will Los Angeles thrive as a gaming hub for entrepreneurs?
It’s possible to argue that Los Angeles might be the best place for game studios and entrepreneurs to set up, based on previous results to have been experienced in the region for technology companies. There have been instances whereby Silicon Beach didn’t enjoy the type of success that was expected.
With many set up in Silicon Valley and San Diego, California is a crowded space. It’s also extremely competitive in terms of the market pool, with several firms already competing with each other to get the best talent.
Still, there have been upturns, and with the infrastructure in place and the talent pool extremely diverse, there is every reason the city can thrive and become a gaming hub. It might just require a change in terms of how engineers and tech-savvy individuals view the city. Instead of considering how Silicon Valley is the premier location, perhaps southern California can make itself more attractive.
