SCE Santa Monica Studio

SCE Santa Monica Studio, also known as Sony Santa Monica, is an American video game developer and part of SCE Worldwide Studios which is owned by Sony Computer Entertainment. As implied by its name, it is based in Santa Monica, California and was established in 1999. It developed the Kinetica game engine that was first used in Kinetica and later in God of War and God of War II.

They also have an external development branch that funds and provides support for a wide variety of games. External development also runs an incubation program which has funded and housed independent developers, including Thatgamecompany and Giant Sparrow.

On January 29, 2014, it was reported that the company is moving from Santa Monica to Playa Vista, Los Angeles. Their new facility occupies a 20-acre site and allows the studio to house two independent studios as well as having an "improved sound bay and a motion capture studio".

On February 25, 2014, the studio was hit by layoffs due to cancellation of a new IP.

Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is named after the Christian saint, Monica. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is bordered on three sides by the city of Los Angeles – Pacific Palisades to the north, Brentwood on the northeast, Sawtelle on the east, Mar Vista on the southeast, and Venice on the south. Santa Monica is well known for its affluent single-family neighborhoods but also has many neighborhoods consisting primarily of condominiums and apartments. Over two-thirds of Santa Monica's residents are renters. The Census Bureau population for Santa Monica in 2010 was 89,736.

Partly because of its agreeable climate, Santa Monica had become a famed resort town by the early 20th century. The city has experienced a boom since the late 1980s through the revitalization of its downtown core, significant job growth and increased tourism. The Santa Monica Pier remains a popular and iconic destination.

History

Santa Monica (disambiguation)

Santa Monica is a city in western Los Angeles County, California, US

Santa Monica may also refer to:

See also

Santa Monica (Savage Garden song)

"Santa Monica" is a song by Australian pop duo Savage Garden, released exclusively as a single in Japan, and taken from their self-titled debut album.

Background

The single was released on 7 December 1998, becoming the sixth overall single from the album. As an ode to the city of the same name in California, the song partly talks of Darren Hayes' experiences and observations. The lyrics of the chorus also make reference to novelist Norman Mailer. The cover art for the single was also used for two other releases: the 1998 re-release of "I Want You" in the UK, and the release of "Tears of Pearls" as a single in Europe in May 1999. The live version of "Santa Monica" that appears on the single was recorded for an episode of the programme Hard Rock Live that originally aired in the United States on VH1 on 21 August 1998. The music video for the song was promoted alongside the single's release in Japan, which features footage from the Hard Rock Cafe performance of the song.