Screen Australia is pleased to announce three new funding opportunities for Australian independent gamemakers that will provide direct funding for original games with budgets below $500,000, new projects from emerging gamemakers, and professional development. The new programs are supported by the Federal Government’s National Cultural Policy announced in January 2023, Revive, which includes a commitment of $12 million over 4 years of dedicated digital games funding through Screen Australia.
Replacing Screen Australia’s Games: Expansion Pack, the new programs include; the Games Production Fund, which will support independent games towards a significant milestone of development such as release or early access; the Emerging Gamemakers Fund for the development of original new projects or prototypes; and the Future Leaders Delegation, which will provide funding and support for up to five individual applicants to travel to San Francisco to attend Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2024.
First launched in March 2022, the Games: Expansion Pack was created in response to the creative potential of the Australian games industry. Over $8.1 million has been distributed to 62 projects and two First Nations games studios. During this period, the Federal Government also introduced the Digital Games Tax Offset that provides projects with budgets over $500,000 with a 30% tax incentive.
Graeme Mason, CEO of Screen Australia said, “Over the past few years, we’ve witnessed remarkable transformation and growth in the Australian digital games industry, and it has been inspiring to support a diverse range of practitioners and projects from emerging talents to experts in the field. Screen Australia’s Games: Expansion Pack played a crucial role in supporting Australian independent game developers, and we’re committed to continuing that support. From beautifully intricate puzzle games like The Master’s Pupil to AGDA Game of the Year-nominated word game Gubbins, the wide range of games supported is proof of the creative strength of the Australian indie games community.”
“Today’s announcement represents an evolution of our games funding and will serve our independent gamemakers into the future — and is testament to our commitment to supporting Australia’s growing games industry. To all the independent gamemakers out there, I encourage you to share your unique visions and projects with us and seize this opportunity.”
GAMES PRODUCTION FUND
The Games Production Fund will provide grants of up to $100,000 towards supporting the development of original, Australian independent games, with a budget of up to $500,000 at the time of applying, to support the game towards a significant milestone of its development, such as release, early access, completion of a vertical slice to help meet commercial goals, or polishing a prototype to a quality suitable for submission to an accolade signifying cultural impact.
Find out more about the Games Production Fund guidelines.
EMERGING GAMEMAKERS FUND
The Emerging Gamemakers Fund provides grants of up to $30,000 to support the development of original, new projects from Australian independent gamemakers. It can fund the creation of a prototype or the completion of a micro-scale game. The fund is aimed at emerging creators, diverse voices, and/or established creators who are interested in creative and artistic experimentation. The fund will run as a series of rounds from financial year 2023/24 until financial year 2026/27. The fund is open to applications from practitioners operating either as sole traders or private companies.
Find out more about the Emerging Gamemakers fund guidelines.
FUTURE LEADERS DELEGATION
The Future Leaders Delegation will provide up to $8,000 of funding and support to five individuals to travel to San Francisco to attend Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2024 (18–22 March 2024). This initiative provides early-to-mid career gamemakers the opportunity to travel to GDC for the first time, seek out professional opportunities, and build relationships that will benefit their careers, and includes a pre-departure workshop from industry experts to be held in Melbourne in February 2024.
The Screen Australia Games Team and IGEA are presenting an online webinar to unpack the new funds and answer questions. Held at 3pm AEDT on Thursday 12 October 2023, the webinar will also be recorded and made available to those who can’t attend.
To find out more about the Federal Governments Digital Games Tax Offset (DGTO), click here.
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Kellie Adcock | Senior Publicist
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