Screen Australia has announced support for the development of 39 video games through a fresh $2 million injection into independent projects, a funding package that includes support for games in pre-production as well as gaming festivals.
All but four of the supported projects are being developed for PC, with a handful also targeting gaming consoles. Two games being developed as mobile-only titles and another two as virtual reality only are also being funded.
Announced by Arts minister Tony Burke on Wednesday, the funding commitment comes out of the $12 million pool committed to game developers under the federal government’s National Cultural Policy, known as Revive.
Mr Burke said the government is committed to nurturing emerging talent to help Australian game developers export their products globally.
“Video gaming has come a long way. Now this global multi-billion-dollar industry offers a staggering variety of unique ideas and techniques for storytellers to connect audiences and explore their creativity,” he said.
Screen Australia chief executive Deirdre Brennan said “demand for games funding is growing, with Screen Australia receiving more than 370 applications, twice as many as the previous year”.
“By supporting these projects and industry events, we’re nurturing local developers and small to medium studios, reinforcing our position as a global leader in independent game-making,” Ms Brennan said.
The $2 million in funding has been spread across 12 games with budgets less than $500,000 under the Games Production Fund as well as 27 games in the ideation or pre-production. It also includes support for the running of three Australian games festivals and events.
This is on top of the $1.6 million committed to 27 games under the two game development funding programs in March.
Among the recipients of Games Production Fund support is Brisbane-based Arkanpixel, which was founded in 2023. The studio is developing Frogreign, a story-driven platform game that lets players take the role of frog prince Rill to “unravel a royal conspiracy”.
Arkanpixel founder Bryce Watson was also a participant in Screen Queensland’s SQHub Residency program, a year-long initiative that provided office space and access to industry experts, business mentoring and income support payments.
In Western Australia, Mystic Road is developing Zodiac Mountain for PC and Mac. The deckbuilding game tasks players taking on the role of a panda seeking to challenge mythical creatures and the Chinese Zodiacs.
Mystic Road founder Kevin Jiang says the development studio’s aim is not just making games but “sharing cultural heritage and fostering a deeper appreciation for it among players worldwide”.
“Our goal at Mystic Road is simple: to break traditional gaming boundaries by infusing our games with the rich narratives and beauty of Asian traditions,” Mr Jiang says on LinkedIn.
Screenwest has also supported development of Zodiac Mountain through its digital games production fund in December 2023.
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