Today's a top day for two things: great gaming deals and frosty decorations that don't translate well to our oven-esque hemisphere. I'm pausing my family's Festivus Celebrations early—including this afternoon's Feats of Strength—to hunt discounts for you instead. I've got a great list going that will swell even larger tomorrow, thanks to the usual Boxing Day madness. Be sure to swing back around!
The triumphs and struggles of the resurgent Australian game industry
08.12.2023 - 15:05 / gamedeveloper.com
Video games are fast becoming one of Australia's most recognizable exports. In recent years, a stream of titles born down under have found commercial success and critical acclaim on the global stage. Cult of the Lamb. Untitled Goose Game. Stray Gods. Heavenly Bodies. Hollow Knight. The Artful Escape. Gubbins. Unpacking. The list goes on and on.
Those projects are the work of a burgeoning development industry that many in the country feel continues to punch above its weight. Game Developer travelled to Melbourne for GCAP 2023 and PAX Australia earlier this year to learn more about the people making games in the region and the advocacy groups supporting them.
It was a trip that shed a light on the highs and lows that come with making video games in a country that (like many others) saw its creative industry decimated by the global financial crisis of 2007, but has since attempted to use the road to recovery as pathway to something even better.
Before we plow ahead, it's important to understand where the Australian video game industry is situated right now. A snapshot published by Australian games industry association IGEA in June 2023 states the games industry delivered $4.21 billion AUD in consumer sales during 2022, representing a 5 percent upswing on 2021.
IGEA CEO Ron Curry said that number is evidence of a strong retail distribution base and a population that "loves playing games," adding it was "no surprise" that sales exceeded $4 billion. "The added benefit is that the consumer demand for games in Australia and internationally allows Australia to build a substantial video game development industry," he stated.
To build a "substantial" development industry, however, you need to persuade creatives and studios of all shapes and sizes to back your cause. The most recent Australian Game Development Survey suggests there's room for optimism in that regard. The report, again published by IGEA, shows that income generated by Australian game development studios during FY21/22 increased by 26 percent year-on-year to $284.4 million.
The number of full time employees in Australian game development studios also rose by 59 percent to 2104 workers over the same period, while the number of studios who said they planned on hiring staff in 2022/2023 totalled 69 percent. Notably, 85 percent of respondents said they are currently developing their own IP.
The report also highlights some disparity. The vast majority of studios, for instance, are based in the state of Victoria (39 percent) and New South Wales (25 percent), with IGEA attributing that regional imbalance to "the long history of recognition and support received from the Victorian government."
The bulk of studios in the country are operated by teams comprising 20
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