Ahead of Melbourne's International Games Week in October, Victoria is continuing to prove why it's the epicentre of Australia's games industry, profiling an incredible slate of upcoming locally made digital games.
Today, six highly anticipated games were on show at local creative studio, Paper House in Melbourne's northern suburbs.
The developers and creatives from Cult of the Lamb, Future Folklore, Kinder World, Way to the Woods, Wayward Strand and Wood & Weather were on hand to present exclusively guided previews of their games.
Parliamentary Secretary for Creative Industries, Katie Hall met with the developers and officially opened applications for Victoria's Games Development Internship program for its second year.
The paid internship program backs emerging practitioners by fast tracking the careers of digital games creators from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds in the screen industry.
The internship includes placements at world-leading studio Sledgehammer Games – known for their work on the Call of Duty series, renowned Victorian indie developer, Robot Circus, and the state's creative and economic screen development agency VicScreen.
All six games on show today have been backed by VicScreen through the Victorian Production Fund, which champions home-grown talent and premium content.
This event comes off a record year for the Victorian digital games industry, with VicScreen supported games injecting $9.7 million into the state economy – a whopping 46 per cent increase on the previous year.
The local industry continues to not only grow but thrive, with Victoria home to 57% of Australia's games workforce and over 170 digital games studios.
Quote attributable to Minister for Creative Industries Steve Dimopoulous
"Through our $191.5 million VicScreen strategy we're backing the growth of our digital games industry and positioning Victoria as a global hub for game development and innovation, alongside our strengths in film and TV."
"We're investing in the Victorian-made gems that nurture our local talent and create future-focused jobs, while showcasing our cutting-edge digital gaming sector to audiences across the world."
Quote attributable to VicScreen CEO, Caroline Pitcher
"The extraordinary games on show today demonstrate the exceptional home-grown talent and content being made in Victoria. The digital games industry is growing exponentially, and we are championing that by backing local IP and career development."
Quote attributable to Massive Monster Creative Director, Julian Wilton
"Early funding from VicScreen helped secure a quality level that would take us to the next level when pitching, resulting in a deal with our dream publisher and a significant development budget."
Applications for the Games Development Internship
