Game Wise: The IGEA Educates Podcast – Unpacking Success: How Quiet Craft Built a Global Hit

This is another episode in our series highlighting Australian success stories, aimed at inspiring the next generation of game makers. There’s no such thing as overnight success, so how did they do it, and what are their superpowers?

In this episode, Jens talks to the team behind Unpacking, one of Australia’s most celebrated indie successes. Wren Brier and Tim Dawson share how a simple real-life moment – moving in together and unpacking boxes – sparked the idea for a game that tells a deeply emotional story without dialogue.

They reflect on their journeys through the Australian games industry, the challenges of going indie, and how years of experience, persistence, and creative instinct came together to shape Unpacking. The conversation explores how the team used everyday objects to convey narrative, balanced player freedom with design intent, and leaned heavily on playtesting and empathy to refine the experience.

You can listen to the episode below:

For an overview of all released episodes, go here: Game Wise – The IGEA Educates Podcast.

If you have any suggestions for future conversations, please let us know! We already have a range of more exciting episodes in our pipeline.