Australian Reception at GDC 2023

IGEA is proud to present the Australian reception at GDC 2023! Join us for networking at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco from 6 pm – 9 pm on March 20 and celebrate Australian creativity.

This event is aimed at publishers, investors, and platform holders to allow you to immerse yourself in valuable networks and promote Australia as a great destination to make games.

The Australian reception is generously supported by:

• Screen Queensland
• Investment New South Wales
• Creative Victoria
• VicScreen
• The South Australian Department of Trade and Investment
• South Australian Film Corporation
• Screen Tasmania
• Screenwest
• Screen Australia
• Australia Council For the Arts

 

If you would like to attend the reception, please register via this form by March 6: Registrations for GDC Reception.

We will also add you to our Australians at GDC Discord server.

You will also be able to invite industry guests via the above form (via IGEA). However, please understand that numbers are strictly limited and that we may not be able to accommodate everyone.

As an IGEA event, the reception is subject to IGEA’s code of conduct.

GDC Package

In addition, thanks to the support of Screen Australia, we are proud to offer the “GDC Package” to 20 studios.

The package includes:

• The ability to demo your game on a supplied monitor at the reception
• Access to match-making service MeetToMatch (one account per studio)
• Access to a physical meeting space within 5-minute walking distance of the Moscone Centre
• Listing your contact details in an updated version of the Level Up! booklet. (Please let us know if you do not want to be included.)

 

If you would like to apply for the GDC Package, please fill out this form by February 5: GDC Package Application Form.

Please note: The GDC Package does not cover travel costs to GDC or tickets to the event. These must be covered by the studio.

Group Discounts

Bookings for more than 10 people attract a 10% discount on GDC tickets (GDC All Access, Core, and Summits passes). IGEA can buy tickets on behalf of the Australian industry and pass on the discount.

If you are interested in taking advantage of this, please fill out this form by the 23rd of January: GDC Group Discounts.

GDC FAQs

When and Where Is the Reception Taking Place?

The Commonwealth Club, San Francisco, 20th of March, 6 pm – 9 pm

Does It Cost Anything to Attend the Reception?

No, this is a free event for Australian developers and service providers.

Can I Bring Along a Guest?

If you would like to bring along a guest that is working in games, please let us know via the registration form. We will invite them on your behalf.

Please note: We are aiming to strike the right balance between Australian studios and international guests and numbers are limited to 200 attendees. This means that we may not be able to accommodate everybody.

It Cannot Attend the Reception Anymore – What Now?

Please let us know as soon as you can so we have an overview of free spots and can them asap.

Does the GDC Package Cost Anything?

Thanks to the generous support of Screen Australia, the package is free. There is, however, a selection process.

Studio selection will be based on the following criteria:

Applications will be judged by Screen Australia in collaboration with the states supporting the reception.

What Kind of Monitor Do I Get Access to at the Reception?

LG 43″ 4K monitors with HDMI connections mounted on a floor stand. You will need to supply your own computer/console.

Please also note that these monitors will not include any branding. Any collateral will need to be supplied by you.

How Many MeetToMatch Accounts Will Recipients of the GDC Package Get Access to?

One account per studio. Additional accounts can be purchased for €89 via info@meettomatch.com

Where Is the Physical Meeting Space Located?

We have booked two private rooms at 649 Mission St, #500 San Francisco, a five-minute walk from the Moscone Centre. One room can accommodate four people, and the other room can accommodate six people.

All room bookings will need to be made via MeetToMatch. (We will liaise with them to make sure it is in their system.)

How Does the Group Discount Work?

If we buy more than 10 tickets as a group, we qualify for a 10% discount. IGEA can buy tickets on behalf of the Australian industry and pass on the discount: You will need to reimburse IGEA but save 10%.

Tickets covered include GDC All Access, Core, and Summits passes.

I am Interested in Sponsoring the Event

Please reach out to Jens (Jens@igea.net) about sponsoring options.

GDC Scholarship to Assist Marginalised Developers

IGEA, in collaboration with the GDC Scholarship program, is proud to offer a limited number of all-access passes for Game Developers Conference, March 20 – 24 2023.

The intention of this program is to help assist marginalised developers to attend GDC, recognising the larger career implication of financial hurdles disproportionately affecting marginalised game developers.

This scholarship is open to applicants from marginalised groups including but not limited: to women (Cis and Trans), Queer people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, gender diverse individuals (transgender, non-binary, intersex), disabled and neurodiverse people, and people of colour.

You must be living in Australia to apply and be over the age of 18.

This scholarship is limited to 10 passes, which covers only the cost of the passes and not the flights or accommodation costs.

Please apply via this form: https://forms.office.com/r/ee9mMqJvnb

Applications will close on January 22nd, 2023; applicants will be informed of the results by January 26th.

For any questions, please reach out to the IGEA team at info@igea.net

Cloud Webinar with Bespin Global and Google

Many game studios use cloud services for game development and operations. To discover how organisations can improve their service performance and find cost efficiencies, Google Cloud, Bespin Global, and IGEA have partnered to deliver this webinar. In it, you will be introduced to how to best use Google Cloud for game development, launch and service expansion, as well as real-world examples.

You will learn about:

• Trends in the games industry
• How to launch a Game with Google Cloud
• How your business can get the resources they need, when they need to perform, at optimal cost on Google Cloud
• Best practices and real Google Cloud Platform (GCP) references of how organisations are transforming the way they assure application performance

Join Sameer Pitalwalla, Head of Games at Google Cloud APAC, and Hogan Yu, Google Cloud Technical Consultant at Bespin Global, to hear about how they can assist you from the early development stages to global expansion.

Watch the webinar here:

Guest Post: Why You Can’t Find a Senior…Anyone At All.

IGEA member Kirtsy Parkin runs recruitment agency Supaglu. Kirsty has been sourcing creative talent for businesses across the games, vfx, post-production and advertising industries for over 25 years. She founded, scaled and sold a design-focussed creative recruitment business in the 00’s before moving into development of CG and VFX training, and talent sourcing. She began specialist creative talent sourcing agency Supaglu in 2022 to support the growing games, animation and VFX sector in Australia.

In this piece, she explores the difficulties of finding senior staff and strategies to address it.

 

 

Why you can’t find a Senior…anyone at all.

If you’ve been searching for senior talent in the Australian gamedev industry in 2022, then you’ll probably agree that that market in Australia fits gamesjobsdirect.com’s Isaac Sellar’s description of the European market as “bottom-heavy”.

This might sound like a negative term, but what he means is that all the investment in training and education poured into the games sector over the last decade or so is starting to pay off, and we have a flood of trained graduates and juniors moving into the market.

More international game companies are setting up studios in Australia, attracted by our rebates and our lifestyle. Coupled with the growth of local studios this puts growth projection for the sector at around 30% over the next couple of years – and while that means there is greater opportunity for all those juniors than ever before, it leaves us with a huge problem around mid to senior career hiring, and above into executive level.  This growth pressure is compounded by the fact that across all sectors over COVID, over 600,000 international visa holders in Australia went back to their home countries. Their roles were not supported by Jobkeeper, and border insecurities meant some felt they should return to their families while they could.  Many have not returned.

Businesses from the games sector across the country have reported difficulties in recruiting experienced game engineers/game developers, technical artists, riggers, and animators. There are shortages in high-end generalists, but also anyone with strong experience in a particular niche and of course Leads and Supervisors of all kinds.

Basically, there is a shortage of experience.

So, what can we do?

A good place to look for inspiration is the VFX industry in Australia. Like the games sector, they need their artists located in Oz to access rebates. They’ve also worked on international projects for years now and many companies (not just the big ones) have developed a talent pipeline which has a double-ended focus. They work with universities and training institutions to identify great junior talent, but they’ve also built an international pipeline using project-based business visas (such as the 408) to bring highly experienced artists and devs to Australia. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Don’t be afraid to consider business migration. It gives you access to great talent across the planet, and most of them want to come to Australia.
2. Personal job tailoring or “hyper-personalisation” is one of the newest buzz phrases in talent at the moment. Create the boundaries of the role to suit your employee. Flexibility is starting to become a standard expectation, and most candidates will consider work/life balance as well as salary. For some, it’s even more important.
3. Consider a four-day work week (in Japan, trials of a 4-day work week resulted in a 40% increase in productivity). And yes – it’s four days for a full-time salary.
4. What does your company stand for as a brand? This one is really important. Mid-career professionals want to work at big international studios because they’re grown up with the games they make. They’re in love with the brand. Smaller companies can create attractive employer brands, too. They just need to be creative about it and invest in marketing.
5. Offer opportunities for career growth and upskilling within your team. This one’s about retention. If you know one of your key staff members is seeking a leadership role, work out how that can happen without them having to leave you.

 

The talent shortage in Australia is likely to be with us for some time yet – maybe even permanently. Even though we’re training more junior talent, the Australian birth rate is sitting at 1.58 – less than replacement. So, we’re going to need to be creative, embrace change and lift our heads to look beyond our shores if we want to meet the future.

Foreign Currencies for Game Developers Webinar 

82% of Australian game developers’ revenue is generated overseas. The global economy is volatile; inflationary pressures, international conflicts, and a COVID hangover make for an unprecedented mixture.

In this webinar tailored to game Australian game developers, George Hopkinson from Xe will offer insights on how they can help mitigate these risks for studios that receive or send foreign currencies.

Xe is an Associate Member of IGEA and has previously worked closely with Screen Australia to provide bespoke solutions for creative studios; Xe is now excited to extend this offering to Australian game studios. 

Webinar:

 

Level Up! A Guide to the Australian Games Industry

IGEA has collaborated with Austrade to publish a guide that provides a snapshot of everything you need to know about Australia’s thriving games industry and smash-hit games development.

In short, it answers the question: What makes the Australian games industry so legendary?

Not only does the Level Up! guide offer an overview of the Australian industry ecosystem, its growth, and key studios, it also highlights the support mechanisms and incentives on offer as well as Australia’s impressive creative track record. A range of case studies cover everything from indie studios to Australia’s largest developers.

The guide features sections for (almost) every state that is supporting our presence at Gamescom and highlights Australia as a lifestyle superpower in order to attract talent and help close the severe skills gaps the industry is experiencing.

You can check it out here:

Level Up! A Guide to the Australian Games Industry

Thanks Austrade for your commitment to showcasing and promoting the Australian digital games industry.

IGEA’s Blockchain Webinar: Cutting Through the Noise

The terms “blockchain” and “NFTs” evoke a range of emotions. Some see it as revolutionising video games and the notion of digital ownership, whereas others regard it as a passing fad that contributes to global warming. We want to cut through the noise and allow you to form your own opinion. Join Chris Clay, VP & Game Director for Immutable’s God’s Unchained and James Lockrey, Managing Director at Chaos Theory, for a conversation on how the industry is transformed by blockchain technology, but also where it may fall short of expectations and what things need to change to make it thrive. 

Chris Clay is the VP and Game Director for the collectable card game Gods Unchained, made by Sydney based Immutable Games Studio. He is best known for his role as Game Director for Magic the Gathering: Arena, and has an extensive background in game design, art, and people management. Chris is passionate about games of all genres and joined Immutable to ensure that blockchain technology is set up as a sustainable force for good in the world.

James Lockrey is the Managing Director at Chaos Theory Games, one of Australia’s leading serious and transformational game development studios. James is passionate about building games that can impact players’ lives, and Chaos Theory have created games to help sufferers of chronic illness, bring excitement to the Australian teaching curriculum, and help non-profits train their staff in how to be more effective. James and Chaos Theory are not currently developing any projects using blockchain-technology.

When: 3rd of June, 12 pm (Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne time), 11:30 am (Adelaide time), 10 am (Perth time)

Where: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87842306461

Register Now to Join the Australian Stand at Gamescom 2022

Australia will be the official partner country of Gamescom 2022. Gamescom is the largest and most important business show for video games in Europe – if not the world – and this is the perfect opportunity to show the world what Australia has to offer!

In addition, IGEA is organising an Australian pavilion at the event, generously supported by:

• Austrade
• Screen Queensland
• Trade and Investment Queensland
• Investment New South Wales
• Creative Victoria
• The South Australian Department of Trade and Investment
• The South Australian Film Corporation
• Screen Tasmania
• Tasmanian Department of State Growth
• Screenwest

The stand will be able to accommodate more than 20 studios. And we are looking for expressions of interest from you!

If you would like to use the Australian stand, please register your interest here:

Expressions of Interest for Australia’s Gamescom Stand

Please also familiarise yourself with the Q&A section below as it includes important information.

For further information, please contact Jens jens@igea.net

 

Australian Stand FAQ

When and Where Will Gamescom Take Place?

Gamescom is hosted at the Kolnmesse in Cologne, Germany. The business halls, complete with the Australian stand, will be open from Wednesday 24 August to Friday 26 August.

Tell Me About the Australian Stand

The Australian stand will be located in the business area of Gamescom. It will be able to accommodate more than 20 studios on 120 m2. IGEA takes care of all stand building.

What Is Included in the Exhibitor Package?

Our exhibitor package includes:

• Access to the stand (including three passes per studio)
• Two meeting planning tools (Gamescom’s own and MeetToMatch)
• Marketing support
• Stand internet
• Access to a private meeting room
• Pre-training

The details of the pre-training are yet to be determined but are likely to include:

• Destination information
  • Hotels, access to the venue, what to know about Cologne
• Business training
  • Pitch experience and feedback, including identifying potential partners and what to ask for
• State-based training
  • E.g., information on what support programs each state has to offer so that attendees can confidently talk about them
• ‘Live’ get together by state so delegates can meet

Moreover, IGEA, in collaboration with Austrade, is working on a guide to the Australian games industry, featuring information on the ecosystem, support programs, and case studies of a range of studios.

Most importantly, IGEA does all the heavy lifting and stand build, so you don’t have to. All you need to do is turn up and start your meetings.

What Is This Going to Cost?

The stand fees are priced according to annual turnover:

• $7000 for businesses with revenues of $AU5m+
• $4500 for businesses with revenues between $AU3m-$AU5m
• $2500 for businesses with revenues below $AU3m

Please note: If you are eligible for Austrade’s Export Market Development Grant (EMDG), you will be able to claim 50% of those costs back. (If you have EMDG-related questions, please let us know.)

Moreover, if you are a developer from New South Wales, Western Australia or South Australia, your stand fees will be covered by their agencies.

What are the Selection Criteria?

The initial planning phase included a fixed allocation of studios per state in line with their financial contribution to the stand. That said, we are trying to accommodate as many studios as possible and may expand the footprint of the Australian stand beyond the initially planned 120 m2.

If we still got more applications than we could feasibly manage, we will need to engage in a selection process. Applications will be judged by IGEA in collaboration with the states supporting the stand. Given the importance of Gamescom in the annual calendar and the funds contributed by the states, the process will revolve around commercial criteria and/or studios’ track records.

What Does Country Partnership Include?

Country sponsorship will enhance Australia’s visibility at Gamescom by a range of means, including, but not limited to:

• Social media posts across all Gamescom social media channels
• Press kit in Gamescom’s press centre
• Integration of Australian guests into the opening ceremony with high-level politicians and media
• Enhanced visibility for Australia’s country pavilion by highlighting it as “Partner Country Pavilion“ on floor plans
• Integration of Australia’s Nation Brand into various channels (e.g., printing materials, Gamescom website, Gamescom exhibitor badges etc.)
• Sponsoring of the exhibitor night (incl. 50 tickets)

What Are the COVID Rules in Germany?

There are currently no restrictions in place in Germany. We will be adopting any legal requirements on the Australian stand.

What is the Cancellation Policy?

If Gamescom is cancelled, you will receive a refund on your booking.

Timing of Booking

Please fill out the forms by the 16^th of May.

IGEA Investment Resource

Finding funding is one of the biggest challenges when starting out. There are many ways to finance a studio – or a game – all with their own advantages and challenges. This resource aims to provide an overview of what types of funding there are and what type of projects they suit. This document is intended for Australian audiences but also references sources from the US and Europe.

The document includes the following information:

• What funding is appropriate at what stage of your project
• A spreadsheet where you can use the filter function to select
  • a) what stage your project is at,
  • b) what platform you’re developing for,
  • c) your business model, and how that translates into the types of funding you’ll be able to access
• A flowchart for you to check what kind of funding matches your goals. (Please note: if the chart is too pixelated to read, please download the spreadsheet, the image will be of much better quality.)
• A glossary of commonly used terms
• Info on
  • 1.) User Acquisition Funding
  • 2.) VC funding
  • 3.) Business angels
  • 4.) Crowdfunding,
  • 5.) Government funding,
  • 6.) Publishers
  • 7.) Other sources of funding
  • 8.) Sources for the information included and further readings

 

Access the resource here: IGEA Investment Resource

Please note: IGEA does not guarantee, and accept any legal liability, for the accuracy, reliability, currency, or completeness of any of the materials provided. While these materials have been obtained via reliable sources, every business is different, and we recommend you seek appropriate independent professional advice to make sure they suit your specific needs.

We will also accompany the release of this resource via two webinars to explore some of the concepts covered in more depth:

Webinar 1: VC Funding in Digital Games

In this webinar, we are joined by Michael Cheung from Makers Fund, Scott Reismanis from mod.io, and Tima Anoshechkin from Alta to discuss what VC funding actually is, what expectations come with it, and how it has helped two Australian studios to expand their business.

Makers Fund is one of the world’s largest games-focused VCs with investments ranging from seed to B+ rounds. mod.io is a modding platform that celebrated 300 million downloads in January – and recently managed to attract US$26 million of series A funding. Meanwhile, Alta is the company behind successful virtual reality role-playing game A Township Tale, which spent seven weeks at number one on the Oculus/Meta charts. At the beginning of the year, it banked $17.3 million from Makers Fund and Andreessen Horowitz.

A recording of the webinar can be accessed below:

Webinar 2: Equity Investment and Acquisition in Digital Games

They want part of my company? Over my dead body! Not so fast, this can actually be a good thing! In this webinar, we will be exploring equity investment and acquisitions of studios with Tomas Rossel from Spawn Ventures and Daniel Visser from Wicked Witch Studios.

Tomas is a highly experienced corporate financier who has worked on media and tech M&A and fundraising around the globe for over 15 years. He funded Spawn Ventures in 2019 to identify gaming and esports entrepreneurs, invest early and join them on a value-creating journey. Daniel is the Managing Director at Wicked Witch, a studio with a 20+ year history dating all the way back to the Game Boy Colour. Wicked Witch was fully acquired by Keyword Studios in 2022.

A recording of the webinar can be accessed below:

IGEA Letter on the Reduction of EMDG Funding

IGEA has written to the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Dan Tehan, to highlight concerns about reduced funding for the Export Market Development Grant (EMDG), a grant which many local game developers rely on to promote their games to the global marketplace. The EMDG is a crucial instrument for Australian exporters to succeed on a world stage, therefore IGEA was disappointed to learn that the dollar value of the current EMDG round will be much lower than initially promoted.

The full letter can be found here.

Meet the Platform: Steam

IGEA presents “Meet The Publisher/Platform,” an online Q+A series to support the Australian games industry to have better access to decision-makers from publishers, platforms, and investors in the video game industry.

With limited travel still making it difficult for local studios to meet decision-makers and pitch to potential investors, we want to make sure the lines of communication stay open.

This is the fourth webinar in the series. We were joined by Valve’s Steam business team for a casual group Q&A session to help you get the most out of shipping your game on their platform.

Watch it below:

Meet the Publishers: Koch Media

IGEA and Screen Queensland present: “Meet The Publisher/Platform,” an online Q+A series to support the Queensland and wider Australian games industry to have better access to decision-makers from publishers, platforms, and investors in the video game industry.

With limited travel making it difficult for local studios to meet decision-makers and pitch to potential investors, we want to make sure the lines of communication stay open.

This is the recording of the second webinar in the series. In it, Roger Clarke, Managing Director at Koch Media, offers the perspective of a publisher with offices all over the planet.

Koch Media is a German-Austrian media company whose business divisions include game development and self-publishing under the labels Deep Silver and Ravenscourt, as well as Partner Publishing and Distribution. With over 20 years of experience, the Koch Media Group has positioned itself as one of the premier publishing partners in Europe.

Watch it below:

Tencent Cloud Development Webinar

Making games is hard: you constantly encounter different challenges and obstacles when building and operating your games and run the risk of losing players.

This free webinar will show you how you can significantly improve game performance, quality, and player experience with the help of Tencent Cloud’s game solutions.

During this session, Nelson Zha, expert solution architect at Tencent cloud International, will walk you through how global smash hits such as Honor of Kings – the world’s largest MOBA –and PUBG leverage Tencent Cloud’s game solutions as well as its gaming ecosystem resources and capabilities to optimise player engagement.

Nelson will focus on optimising Honor of Kings’ backend servers and PUBG’s global service distribution architecture and share advice and insights to help you avoid common problems, including:

• Game security issues such as plug-ins and cheaters disrupting game balance
• Simulation and performance monitoring in complex network environments for games that are distributed in multiple regions around the world.
• Game voice freeze, high latency, unreliable voice orientation, or inaccurate judgements in complex game battle environments
• Collapsing of game lobbies when there are too many players, or when the matching mechanism fails

Where: Please register via https://intl.cloud.tencent.com/jp/webinar/detail/100

We will share the webinar details with attendees before the event.

When: 17 November, 1 pm (NSW & Vic time)/12 pm (QLD time)/12:30 pm (SA time)/10 am (WA time)

Australia – Get Over Here Webinar

Come and learn about the Australian games industry – the new Digital Games Tax Offset, the various incentives available from State governments, what assistance is available to establish a studio in Australia and pathways for talent coming to Australia.

This webinar covers:

Australia’s Digital Games Tax Offset (DGTO)
Presented by The Hon Paul Fletcher MP (Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts)

Why Australia Now?
Presented by Peter Verwer AO (Prime Minister’s Special Envoy)

State-Based Incentives
Presented by Caroline Pitcher (Film Victoria), Grainne Brunsdon (Screen NSW), Kate Croser (South Australian Film Corporation)

Australia Game Development at a Glance
Presented by Raelene Knowles (IGEA)

Australian Game Development Studios
Presented by Ben Lee (Blowfish Studios), Blake Mizzi (League of Geeks), Dylan Miklashek (Gameloft Brisbane), Joey Egger (Two Moos)

Pathways to Australia – Global Talent Visa
Presented by Sarah Rose (Global Talent Officer London) from the Australian Government’s Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce

What’s on the Horizon?
Presented by Ron Curry (IGEA)

Live Q and A

Watch the webinar here:

IGEA and GYLD present: Pitching Tips and Tricks for GCAP Invest

In the lead-up to GCAP Invest, all GCAP tickets holders were invited to attend a free pitching talk hosted by GYLD. In it, based on their experience with over 200 video games deals, GYLD founders Lex Suurland and Fabian talked about best practices, the tricks of virtual pitching, and explained what publishers and investors want to see in a pitch.

Find the recording of the webinar below:

IGEA Skills Matrix – A Guide on How to Enter the Industry

The IGEA Skills Matrix aims to provide games industry intelligence and advice on skills needs in Australian studios of various sizes, from indie to AAA. Its aim is to highlight what is expected of junior talent wanting to enter the industry: What skills do they need to have and where and how should they promote these skills?

As such, its intended primary audiences are educators and students.

Educators need to be aware of industry expectations to ensure the currency of curricula and prepare students for their future roles. This matrix’ purpose is to support the development, implementation and continuous improvement of high-quality courses.

Students will benefit from the guidance it provides, it will help them to make informed choices in terms of choosing their career, tools, and platforms.

Please note, this matrix does not claim to be comprehensive. While all the information has been directly supplied by the studios, it represents a snapshot in time. Not every role in the video games industry has been accommodated and some of the roles listed are likely to change over time, in particular in such a fast-moving sector as the games industry. This matrix is best read in conjunction with other resources such as the Game Development Cheatsheets to paint a comprehensive picture of the industry.

Access the matrix here: IGEA Skills Matrix 2022

Recording of Meet the Publishers: Fellow Traveller and Blowfish Studios

IGEA and Screen Queensland present: “Meet The Publisher/Platform,” an online Q+A series to support the Queensland and wider Australian games industry to have better access to decision-makers from publishers, platforms, and investors in the video game industry.

With limited travel making it difficult for local studios to meet decision-makers and pitch to potential investors, we want to make sure the lines of communication stay open.

This is a recording of the first webinar in the series. You get to hear from two homegrown publishers: Chris Wright from Fellow Traveller and Ben Lee from Blowfish Studios give you insights on their decision-making process and what they would like to see from a studio in order to get published.

Founded in 2011, Fellow Traveller is an indie games label exploring the possibility space of what narrative games can be. As such, they supported the release of games that use real Unix commands (Hacknet), a surveillance thriller series that puts you in the shoes of Big Brother (Orwell), a sad game about an elderly goat farmer (The Stillness of the Wind) an even a dystopian steampunk mini-golf adventure game.

Blowfish Studios are an award-winning developer & publisher of interactive entertainment based in Sydney. Founded in 2008 by industry veterans, it helped with the creation of a range of innovative and engaging games. Earlier this year, they were acquired by Animoca Brands for AUD$35m.

Watch it below:

(Please note that due to technical difficulties the first two minutes of the webinar are missing.)

Updated Resource on Government Funding Sources

IGEA has updated its resource on government funding sources once again.

This updated table seeks to compile key business and investment support programs that may be accessed by game businesses in Australia, with separate tables for the programs available federally, and within each state.

The table includes programs that are specifically designed for, or particularly relevant to, games businesses such as game development and marketing funds. It also includes key business support programs as part of the government’s effort to combat the economic fallout of COVID-19 as well as general tax, funding, research and advisory programs for businesses and start-ups.

As such, it may be helpful to both small and established studios, as well as international publishers seeking to explore a local presence.

The applicability and eligibility of members will vary across the programs listed. Please check carefully before you apply; in doubt, reach out to the government organisation in question or contact us.

Programs omitted from the list include some remote area funds, funds unlikely to be used by members as well as funds requiring application by consortiums.

Please note that some programs listed may be temporary or lapsing, in hiatus or not currently open for applications. This table is a work in progress, so please report any missing programs that need to be included or out-of-date information to Jens at jens@igea.net.

Access the document here: IGEA Overview of Government Funding September 2021.