2026 GUEST ANNOUNCEMENTS - MORE TO COME!
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Charlie Kraslavsky is an actor best known for his portrayal of Chris Redfield in the original Resident Evil (1996), the groundbreaking survival horror game that introduced live-action cutscenes to the genre. Born in Tokyo, Japan, and raised in various international settings, Charlie developed a passion for film and theater at an early age. He studied filmmaking at San Francisco State University before returning to Tokyo, where he worked in acting, modeling, and voice-over roles for Japanese film and television productions. In 1993, he signed an exclusive contract with I.M.O. (Inagawa Motoko Office) and pursued acting full-time until 1996. His role as Chris Redfield marked a significant contribution to the gaming industry, helping to shape the character's legacy in the Resident Evil franchise.
After stepping away from acting in 1996, Charlie returned to the entertainment industry in the 2000s, participating in various projects across the United States. In 2022, he reconnected with the Resident Evil universe by participating in fan-made projects such as The Keeper’s Diary: A Biohazard Story and providing a cameo in the video game Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle, marking his first video game appearance in 27 years. Charlie's deep connection to the Resident Evil series and his engaging presence make him a sought-after guest for conventions and events, where he shares his experiences and insights into the making of the iconic game.
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Eric Pirius is an actor best known for his portrayal of Albert Wesker in the original Resident Evil (1996), the groundbreaking survival horror game that introduced live-action cutscenes to the genre. Born on June 5, 1967, in Goodhue, Minnesota, Pirius grew up in Alaska, attended Vassar College, and spent a decade living in Tokyo, where he worked as a model and voice actor. His role as Wesker, characterized by his iconic sunglasses and commanding presence, left a lasting impression on fans and contributed to the game's enduring legacy. Notably, Pirius portrayed Wesker in the live-action sequences.
After his work on Resident Evil, Pirius transitioned into a successful career in the banking industry, currently serving as a mortgage banker at Bell Bank. Despite stepping away from the entertainment industry, he remains a cherished figure among Resident Evil enthusiasts. In 2022, Pirius reunited with fellow original cast members Charlie Kraslavsky (Chris Redfield) and Greg Smith (Barry Burton) for the fan-made project The Keeper: A Biohazard Story, marking a significant return to the franchise. His deep connection to the Resident Evil series and his engaging presence make him a sought-after guest at conventions and events, where he shares his experiences and insights into the making of the iconic game.
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Greg Smith is an Australian actor best known to fans for portraying Barry Burton in the original 1996 Resident Evil video game’s live-action sequences. Although not a professional actor by trade, his performance became an unforgettable part of gaming history and helped define one of survival horror’s most iconic early casts. Over the years, Smith’s portrayal of Barry has remained a favorite among longtime fans, many of whom continue to view him as the definitive live-action Barry Burton.
In recent years, Smith has embraced the lasting legacy of his role through convention appearances, fan engagement, and special Resident Evil projects. Most notably, he appeared in RESURRECTION: A Biohazard Story, a fan film produced with Residence of Evil that reunited members of the original 1996 cast and celebrated the enduring impact of the franchise. His continued involvement with the fan community has helped introduce his work to a new generation while further cementing his place in Resident Evil history.
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Pete Capella is an American actor, voice actor, and stand-up comedian, who has done voice work for the English dub of the Sonic the Hedgehog series and the Sonic X anime series.
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Frankie Kevich is a Vancouver born, Filipino-Polish actor, now based in LA. Since graduating from UCLA in 2020, she’s become the voice of characters in video games and anime like Conduit in Apex Legends, Rinko in Silent Hill f, Lucy Steel in Steel Ball Run JOJO’s Bizarre Adventure and other titles like Arknights, Destiny Rising, Infinity Nikki, Fire Emblem Heroes, Secrets of the Silent Witch and more. She voices lead characters on the Netflix animated shows Mermaid Magic, Rainbow High and LOL Surprise.
She is also a singer, having sung the ending credits for the recent Kirby Air Riders game and dubbed the songs for Yachiyo in Cosmic Princess Kaguya and Ciel in Synduality Noir.
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JS Gilbert has performed voices for over 400 pinball machines, slot machines, video games, toys and interactive products. He is a true mimic, who not only was the voice of Mario on Mario's Time Machine, but also 35 different historical characters. He is perhaps best known as the voice of Sweet Tooth from the Twisted Metal gaming Franchise as well as the voice of Mundo, Sion, Gragas, Cho Gath and Udyr on League of Legends. On Lord of the Rings Online, he has voiced characters for over 12 years, including Smaug, Glaurung, Gandalf and numerous other characters, including orcs, dwarfs.
He is one of the earliest English speaking voice talent to be featured in games, including arcade games. Dark Wizard, Battle Arena Toh Shin Den, NHL Hockey Night, and playing Darth Vader on Star Wars Chess, are just a few early titles he has worked on. His voice was featured heavily on many early gaming libraries. That and the fact that voice talent wasn't always tracked well back then have left numerous holes in his IMDB. Notable titles include Peter Norton's PC Guru and Mother Goose's Farm. Both of which he did casting, directing and audio production, in addition to voiceover.
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SAUNDRA WANE, (Silent Hill, 1999 - Cheryl Mason/Alessa Gillespie) is an actor who has been cleverly hiding in plain sight for the last two decades by spelling her own name correctly. Credited incorrectly as Sandra Wane in the original Silent Hill video game, Saundra vanished from the Silent Hill landscape as mysteriously as Cheryl Mason.
Saundra is a lifelong actor, creating and performing theatre of all kinds in this century and the last. Since 2008, she has chosen to perform for a much smaller audience - entertaining her husband and son with the improvisational theatre of daily life.
Professionally, Saundra has decades of work in all areas of regional theater, as well as oodles of credits for her voiceover work. Her extensive and varied character work includes myriad radio and television commercials, narration, animation, websites, educational toys, arcade and video games.
Industry Guests
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Frank Cifaldi is the executive director of the Video Game History Foundation, a charity that preserves, celebrates, and teaches the history of video games. As someone who has been actively preserving game history for over 25 years, he's dangerously close to becoming history himself. Prior to the VGHF, Frank was a video game producer and long-time journalist and editor.
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Grayson joined the games industry in 2007 as a programmer at id Software and have since worked at Zynga, GREE, EA, Unity, and Activision. In 2019 my wife and I formed Sleepy Bits Games for Android and NES projects, and released our second original homebrew title, Old Oak Lane, last year. We're hard at work on our third NES game, The Halls of Talamh Domhain, which is the most ambitious yet, and was recently selected as a Super MAGFest Indie Retro Homebrew Showcase finalist!
Grayson's professional games:
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars - id Software, 2007
Doom II RPG - id Software, 2009
RAGE - id Software, 2007 - 2011
Words with Friends - Zynga, 2011 - 2012
Battlestone - Zynga, 2013
Project Blackbird (cancelled) - GREE International, 2013 - 2015
Command and Conquer: Rivals (Central Tech) - EA, 2016 - 2018
Star Wars: Rise to Power (cancelled) - EA, 2016 - 2018
Unity Engine (Graphics) - Unity, 2018 - 2021
Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile - Activision, 2021 - 2022
Grayson's homebrew games:
Vacuum Frenzy - Android, 2020
Shattered Silhouettes - Android, 2023
Rainbow Catcher - NES, 2023
Old Oak Lane - NES, 2025
The Halls of Talamh Domhain - NES, in development
Content Creators
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Retro Rick is always on the hunt for all things 80s & 90s nostalgia! From the movies, toys and games he’s dedicated his channel to the simpler times of the past. His channel primarily focuses on live game/toy hunting at flea markets, thrift stores, garage sales and his game store taking the viewer along on the journey!
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Sam started out trying to collect her favorite childhood video games while slinging Pokemon themed sports bras at conventions. After years of selling retro games and bras on the road or online, she and her husband Joe opened RadJunk in 2016. The rad-ness didn’t stop there, they opened their arcade bar called RadBar, in 2019. She also owns Really Rad Weekend, a video game convention that’s on the beach every November that’s the evolution of her previous convention, Emerald Coast Con!
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Dan & Elisa are an avid gaming couple striving to relive their childhood through video games, together! They make a wide variety of gaming content ranging from video game hunting, retro toys, anime, and collection tours. They can usually be found hunting for 3DS games or expensive RPGs, but if you see them around the expo, make sure to say hi and show them what you picked up! Because the couple that plays together, stays together!
APPEARING SAT AND SUN
APPEARING SAT AND SUN
Tofer.A is a retro gaming and pop culture creator with nearly one million followers across YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X. With over 150,000 YouTube subscribers, he releases multiple short-form videos daily, three long-form videos per week, and hosts four weekly livestreams.
His content focuses on classic consoles, retro collectibles, and modern reimaginings — often sharing those experiences with his two sons, who regularly appear in his videos. He also co-hosts weekly gaming livestreams with his wife, bringing a fun, family-driven dynamic to modern releases.
Built on positivity and generational connection, Tofer.A bridges past and present — helping longtime fans relive what made gaming special while introducing a new generation to it for the first time.
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Sean Powers is one of the hosts of The PlayStation Ain't Dead Podcast alongside, Will Schulz, James Johnson, and Radical Reggie. The program airs live every Saturday night at 10 PM EST on the PlayStation Ain't Dead Youtube channel. They discuss everything from the latest game releases and industry news to retro titles and hardware with a dose of comedy. Sean is a prolific collector with over 7,000 games spanning all generations from the Atari 2600 to the PS5. Currently, Sean has a complete North American 3DS, Wii U and Virtual Boy collection, and is working on a complete world PS5 collection.
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APPEARING SAT AND SUN
That’s right! Against our better judgment, we’ve allowed Blake from Pixel Game Squad and Retro Games Plus into the expo! Please join us in giving him a warm (and possibly cautious) welcome as a guest this year. We can’t promise we won’t regret this decision—but honestly, that’s part of the fun! we love you Blake and welcome in!
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Claire Lim is a Scottish host, podcaster, and comedian known for her engaging interviews and dynamic presence across TV, radio, digital media, and live events. Now an LA resident, her credits include BBC Scotland’s Screen Grab, Intel’s Great PC Build Off, and appearances on various radio and podcast shows. A passionate live streamer on Twitch, she blends comedy, gameplay, and characters in her interactive content, and her chat show A Wee Chat has featured prominent figures from the gaming world.
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APPEARING SAT AND SUN
APPEARING SAT AND SUN
APPEARING SAT AND SUN
Jake, Chris, and Zack specialize in filming in store content documenting customers reliving a link to their past. RetroJakes @retrojakesvideogames located in Richmond and Muncie Indiana have took the retro gaming community by storm the past 9 months with customers praising their great prices and top tier customer service and dedication.
Founded with the mission to make retro gaming accessible, fun, and community-driven, RetroJakes brings together gamers, collectors, and enthusiasts from all walks of life to share in their love for timeless systems, iconic cartridges, and vintage gaming experiences.
With over 600,000 followers across social media in just 9 months of making content, RetroJakes is growing exponentially across the world. They also have a mobile app that they can ship in USA, Canada, and the UK.
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APPEARING SAT AND SUN
Doug Walker has been making online videos since 2007. He is best known for his character the Nostalgia Critic from Channel Awesome, who reviews movies and TV shows connected to popular IP from the past. He's also noted for having a long standing "rivalry" with The Angry Video Game Nerd. He's appeared in Smiling Friends, Honest Trailers, Cinema Sins, Attack of the Show, Oney Plays, Solid JJ, PBS, Entrepreneur Magazine, New York Times, USA Today, Chicago sun times, Chicago Tribune, 20/20, Rifftrax, and was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year at the Mashable Awards as well as one of the Best Youtube Critics by WatchMojo.com. He’s performed with Mike Nelson, James Rolfe, Corey Taylor, Mara Wilson, Dante Basco, Rob Paulsen, Maurice Lamarche, Don Bluth, Tommy Wiseau, Greg Sestero, Andre Meadows, and has even been praised by Roger Ebert. His likeness even appeared in animated shows like SpongeBob SquarePants and Zettai Karen Children. He’s more than a God, but less than a man…or is it the other way around? Either way just watch him! He clearly needs the attention.
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For almost 20 years, Brad Jones has been the creator and star of the popular Channel Awesome series The Cinema Snob, a satirical look at B movie cinema through the decades. As well as portraying The Cinema Snob, Brad is a novelist and also hosts the "Years in Film" series on Channel Awesome.
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Andy, also known as LoveRetroBTW @loveretroBTW, is a Los Angeles-based retro gaming content creator with a deep passion for 80s and 90s gaming culture. A longtime member of the SoCal retro scene since 2007, he’s known for his love of the Sega Saturn, his support of local game shops, and his presence in the retro gaming community across social media.
By day, Andy serves as Director of Influencers & Gaming Community at Stand Up To Cancer, working with creators and streamers to raise funds for cancer research.
Before that, he spent nearly a decade as a reality TV producer on shows like Kitchen Nightmares, Hell’s Kitchen, and American Ninja Warrior.
Andy takes pride in highlighting the retro gaming community, always aiming to spread positivity, and celebrate the games that brought us all together.
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Known for his unique style and deep love for classic 90s-era animation—think Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and all the nostalgic vibes—Comfort Cartoons brings creativity, humor, and heart to everything he does. And if you’ve ever spotted him at the swap meet on the weekends, you already know—he’s probably clearing out every piece of SpongeBob merch in sight.
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APPEARING SAT AND SUN
Ben Fate is a Portuguese Canadian comedian, content creator, and the mind behind Comedy Portuguese, a digital platform that has grown to over 150,000 followers across his social media. Known for his sharp, culturally driven humor, Ben creates highly relatable memes, parodies, and original music that bring Portuguese traditions, family life, and modern struggles to life.
Launching the brand over a decade ago, Ben built Comedy Portuguese from the ground up—evolving it from a small Instagram page into a widely shared, multi-platform presence spanning Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. His work is inspired by Portuguese culture and entertainers who paved the way, while carving out a distinct voice that resonates with audiences around the world.
Beyond comedy, Ben brings over 25 years of experience as a graphic designer, along with a strong background in music production and video editing—skills that continue to shape the quality and originality of his content.
In addition to his online presence, Ben is an active member of the Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC) community and was recently involved in CTWC Toronto, the first regional event of its kind in the city.
Driven by a genuine passion for making people laugh, Ben creates content that connects with everyday experiences and brings humor to life’s challenges.
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APPEARING SAT AND SUN
A Gen Z Nintendo and retro gaming YouTuber, Josie brings fresh energy, deep nostalgia, and a love for classic games that bridges generations. From iconic Nintendo titles to retro gems, her content celebrates everything we love about gaming—past and present.
Skaters To Be Announced
Musical Performers - More to Come
APPEARING SATURDAY
Cor64 is a Los Angeles-based music producer and synthwave artist specializing in retro sounds, 1980s synth aesthetics, and video game music covers. The artist is widely known for reinterpreting iconic soundtracks from 80's film and 90s-era video game consoles.
APPEARING SUNDAY
Donovan Raitt is an acoustic fingerstyle guitarist and music professor from Southern California, and has released three albums of original music and two albums of cover arrangements on Candyrat Records. Donovan grew up playing video games, and performs arrangements of classical video game music for solo acoustic guitar, and has presented recitals and academic research on the history of video game music.
Cosplay Guests
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Suncake is one half of the award-winning duo SuncakeMooncake Cosplay, who has been creating costumes from scratch for over 16 years. In that time, Suncake has specialized in many forms of fabrication, including sewing, armor making, 3d printing, wig styling, and more. They love researching new techniques to add to their repertoire, teaching at cosplay panels, and spreading the art of cosplay to newcomers and veterans alike. They also enjoy playing video games, especially those from Nintendo and Capcom! Suncake is very excited to be hosting SoCalGaming Expo Cosplay Contest and can't wait to see all the cosplays! @suncakemooncake
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Mooncake is one half of the award-winning duo SuncakeMooncake Cosplay! With over 16 years of sewing, crafting, and cosplay contest experience, they love bringing their favorite characters to life and performing in cosplay skits for the stage! They're also passionate about getting newcomers into the hobby through hosting educational panels and helping out at local cosplay contests. And of course they love playing video games, especially those on Nintendo consoles! Mooncake is so honored to be judging for the SoCalGaming Expo Cosplay Contest and excited to see what this year's contestants will bring! @suncakemooncake
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