Australia Doubles Funding for Local Game Developers

The Australian government is doubling down on its support for local game developers with a fresh investment of 1 million Australian dollars (698 thousand USD). This funding will be managed by the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) and channeled into the Digital Games Fund.

Eligible teams based in South Australia can apply for three types of financial assistance. Pre-production and prototype development will receive up to 30,000 AUD (21 thousand USD), main development can secure up to 150,000 AUD (104.7 thousand USD), and post-release support, such as porting and localization, offers up to 50,000 AUD (34.9 thousand USD).

In addition to funding, SAFC is launching a program to help aspiring developers find jobs in local studios. The initiative will also compensate studios for part of the salary expenses of new hires.

This is the second time Australian authorities have allocated funds to game developers through SAFC. Last year, the investment was half the current amount, totaling 500,000 AUD (349 thousand USD), which was distributed among 11 studios, including the creators of Pro Jank Footy, Photo Roboto, Pipsqueak!, End of Ember, and Life, Death and Ramen.