SAN DIEGO, CA— EMMES Realty Services of California LLC announced a multiple floor lease today with a high-tech tenant who will be relocating and expanding to its 1 Columbia Place property in downtown San Diego.
The tenant, highly respected video game development studio Psyonix, will be expanding within the downtown EMMES portfolio from a 9,000 square-foot office space at 707 Broadway to a 40,000 square-foot office at 1 Columbia Place. Psyonix, which was represented by Jordan Williams of Strom Commercial for its new lease, will occupy two contiguous floors in the high-rise section of the 27-story building. Psyonix’s expansion highlights both the flexibility within the downtown EMMES portfolio to accommodate significant tenant growth and downtown San Diego’s continued attractiveness to growing, innovative companies, which are capitalizing on the area’s rich amenity base and deep talent pool.
“We are thrilled for Psyonix’s success and for its continued growth within the downtown EMMES portfolio,” said Jordan Johnson, vice president of EMMES Realty Services of California LLC. “Downtown San Diego has arrived as a dynamic hub for innovation-oriented companies and EMMES is working hard to design, upgrade and improve our buildings to fit today’s innovation companies’ cultures and needs.”
Johnson added that this includes superior technology infrastructure such as enhanced Wi-Fi coupled with a Building-Wide Fiber Optic Network, as well as amenities such as expansive terraces with hotel-style lounge seating, in-building retail shops and restaurants, banking, multiple state-of-the-art building conference/meeting rooms, an indoor cycling studio, secure tenant bike storage, as well as shower and locker facilities.
Psyonix — best known for the commercial success of its video game, Rocket League®, which has sold more than 8 million copies to date — relocated from North Carolina to San Diego in 2009 and has grown exponentially ever since.
“We have experienced tremendous growth since the launch of Rocket League® in July of 2015. The game’s huge success with more than 22 million players is a big reason why we’re moving into the new office space,” said Dave Hagewood, Psyonix founder, CEO and studio director. “We needed a fantastic modern location like 1 Columbia Place that could better accommodate our increasing team size and loftier goals.”
Hagewood added that the game studio’s prime location downtown will also attract more creative talent to Psyonix.
“The spectacular views, proximity to quality restaurants, and beautiful architecture at 1 Columbia Place are all amazing values for us,” Hagewood said. “San Diego is also an excellent alternative to other large cities in general because of its close proximity to great beaches and family entertainment. There’s definitely a beach vibe all over town, which is perfect for our company culture and mindset.”
About EMMES
EMMES Realty Services of California LLC is a member of The EMMES Group of Companies. Founded in 1992, with offices in New York and California, The EMMES Group of Companies and its affiliates are engaged in principal real estate investments, funds management and real estate services. The downtown San Diego EMMES portfolio is comprised of four high-rise office properties: 1 Columbia Place, 2 Columbia Place, 701 B Street, and 707 Broadway, along with a large parking and retail facility, which was recently rebranded to 6th & A Parking. For more information, visit www.emmesco.com.
About Psyonix
Based in San Diego, CA, Psyonix is a critically-acclaimed independent video game developer and leading expert in Unreal Engine technology. For more than a decade, the studio has been a driving force behind some of the most successful games in the industry, including Gears of War, Mass Effect 3, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Bulletstorm, Unreal Tournament III, Unreal Tournament 2004, and the award-winning Sports-Action hit, Rocket League®. For more information, visit www.psyonix.com.
