Top row: L-R - Rowan Clare, Siobhan Dent, Twig Takac, Fentine Gard, Mishal Shameer; bottom row L-R: Leura Smith, Susan Dang, Nizua Inas Alysha Binti Mohd Nizuaisham, Lori McLelland. Photo by Sarah Chavdaroska.
VicScreen has today announced the latest games to be supported through its Originate Games initiative.
Now in its third year, Originate Games supports Victorian game developers with projects in early stages of development to explore new ideas, with the future goal of publishing their game to be enjoyed by millions of players around the world.
With Victoria's games sector globally renowned for its creativity and diversity, VicScreen designed this program to give Victorian developers the space to iterate their ideas through creative experimentation, prototyping, industry and peer mentoring and early audience feedback – and support them with local and global connections to secure further investment.
The selected projects for the third round of Originate Games include:
Canvas Street
Key Creatives: Leura Smith, Katsumi Yoshida
Project: Canvas Street is a game about doing architecture. In the game, the player designs houses for a variety different clients, playing through the architectural design process one step at a time.
Dicot
Key Creatives: Siobhan Dent, Zachariah Chandler, Twig Takac, Fentine Gard, Barroo
Project: Dicot is a 2D sci-fi immersive sim about cave diving and devotion in the stars. Delve below the sentient planet of love, New Cytherea, in search of its many secrets
Junkyard Zoo
Key creatives: Marc-O-Matic
Project: Junkyard Zoo is a cosy process and assembly game about finding purpose in the discarded. Creating a Sanctuary of Mechanical Animalia and Temple of Lost Knowledge from the junk and scrap humanity left behind.
Little Magica
Key Creatives: Rowan Clare, Susan Dang
Project: Little Magica is a Magical Girl inspired Tactical role-playing game with an emphasis on enabling creative solutions and approaches to combat. It features a cast of 9 young boys and girls on a coming-of-age story about community, wishes, and transformation.
Rawring Candies
Key Creatives: Nizua Inas Alysha Binti Mohd Nizuaisham, Lori McLelland, Mishal Shameer
Project: Rawring Candies is a couch co-op game for players looking for strategic confectionary chaos.
Since the program's launch, several Originate Games teams have gone on to secure further funding from VicScreen's Victorian Production Fund for games and have taken part in events like Play Now Melbourne.
Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks said, "Victoria is home to a thriving games industry, with the largest number of games studios and the biggest games workforce in Australia. Originate Games champions new games talent, supporting Victorians to create world-class content that is innovative, educational and entertaining, and that our digital games sector is famous for."
VicScreen CEO Caroline Pitcher said, "The creativity coming through Originate Games is nothing short of electric. These developers are pushing boundaries and VicScreen is proud to champion bold ideas and help bring them to life."
Learn more about 2024 Originate Games alumni here and the 2023 Originate Games alumni and their projects here.
Visit our website to learn more about VicScreen's Digital Games programs here.
