The studio behind Fortnite, Mortal Kombat and Halo has found a home in Australia.
Keywords Studios will set up its Australian Headquarters and Development Studio in Melbourne.
'We have ambitious plans to grow our business in Victoria,' says Tom Crago, CEO, Keywords Australia. 'It's exciting to partner with a government that is as inspired by the games industry as we are.'
Keywords Studios has an 85% stake in Melbourne games developer Tantalus Media, founded by Crago. The two companies have formed a joint venture company, Keywords Australia. They will continue co-production and collaboration in Australia, overseen by Crago.
Founded in 1998, Dublin-based Keywords Studios provides software engineering, testing and game development services. It has collaborated with Activision, Tencent, Ubisoft, Microsoft, Sony, Warner Bros and Nintendo.
Victoria's thriving games industry
Melbourne boasts more than half of Australia's game industry. Australian studios in the city include Hipster Whale, House House, Playside Studios and Zero Latency.
Global games developers Firemonkey EA and Sledgehammer Games also have studios in Melbourne.
Keywords Studios can find staff from a pool of games developers, graphic artists and designers. Victoria produces more than 1,000 graduates a year in major gaming disciplines. This includes:
- programming
- animation
- multimedia design
- digital art
- design
Australia offers businesses that spend a minimum of A$500,000 on games development a 30% refundable tax offset. Discover Australia's vibrant games industry.
