Digital Games
Produce internationally successful games that get noticed - with Melbourne's brightest talent
Melbourne is Australia’s top game development location and the perfect city to create games with global commercial appeal. With a high concentration of creative and technical talent, Melbourne's local gaming ecosystem is a hotbed of opportunity.
Melbourne is home to 170 of Australia’s 200 digital games studios, where 87 per cent of revenue is generated from soaring overseas sales.1 Growth is being accelerated by international studios that are acquiring and expanding Melbourne’s world-class resources.
Join renowned names such as EA, Sledgehammer, Nickelodeon, Pixar, Disney, Warner Bros and ID@Xbox (Microsoft), Team 17 and Private Division who have partnered with local studios to develop and launch successful global games ventures.
- IGEA - Australian Game Development Survey 2021
WATCH : Expand you studio internationally with Victoria's digital games strategy webinar
Opportunities for global games created by world-leading developers
Victoria’s gaming development sector accounts for 52 per cent of Australia’s gaming workforce,1 with the accessible development studios and creative talent that global companies need to create games that make significant returns. Find out more about opportunities to:
Tap into creative development of new applications
- Access cutting-edge technologies and skills. From 3D modelling to interactive motion tracking, animation, special effects and storytelling, Victoria’s skilled gaming sector is well equipped to create ‘stand-apart’ gaming experiences
- Invest in new industry gaming applications. Melbourne’s gaming industry is servicing a growing national demand for gamification in edtech and training tools for industries such as education, health and medicine
Partnership and development acquisition
- Develop publishing partnerships. Victorian studios have delivered best-selling games and award-winning animations through joint creation and middleware licensed to games development studios.
- Developer acquisition. Over the past 10 years a number of international studios have acquired Melbourne games developers to expanded organically, or funded games development.
Build cost effective 'follow-the-sun' development cycles
- Create an international workflow across a 24 hour cycle. Drive your games development through a thriving games sector expertise and talent that is between European and American time zones, permitting a 24/7 development cycle that taps into world-class expertise
Source
1. IGEA - Australian Game Development Survey 2021
Case studies: Digital games
Why bring your gaming investment to Victoria?
Emerging as a vibrant digital games hub in the 1990s, Melbourne has since become a global industry player with a size that fuels growth. Its productive tradition of collaboration between highly talented developers, writers and artists now consistently produces award-winning games in an industry that outstrips film box office, DVD and music sales.
Concentration of talent built on deep creative and technical skills
Melbourne’s productive tradition of collaboration between highly talented developers, writers and artists now consistently produces award-winning games in an industry that outstrips film box office, DVD and music sales.
With strong capabilities in programming, analytics and creative thinking, as well as extensive experience earned in international gaming industries across US and Europe, Melbourne’s robust gaming sector is further bolstered by a pipeline of upcoming talent.
Melbourne offers:
- access to the right talent, with more experienced and qualified game designers than anywhere else in Australia, growing at a faster rate (10%) than other jurisdictions including Montreal (Quebec), Singapore and Hong Kong2
- a thriving creative arts community that includes Film Victoria and film production facilities, providing rich sources of talent for video game production
- industry engaged writing such as the Australian Writers Guild (AWG) which welcomes video game writers and has forged strong ties with the development community
- culturally aware and multilingual professionals, specialising in Asian and European languages
- five specialist game design institutes including the Academy of Interactive Entertainment, JMC Academy, Academy of Information Technology, SAE Institute Melbourne and CG Spectrum
- nine other institutes offer game design accreditation, while the remaining institutions provide a broad range of digital skills, including 3D artists, programmers, animators, composers, sound designers and more
- over 1000 game design graduates every year, from courses that include programming, animation, multimedia design, digital art, and design across 20 academic institutions
Source
2. Linkedin Jobs Insights Report Sept 2020
Join Australia’s top game development location
Melbourne’s thriving games hub is home to:
- 170 gaming production studios as well as The Arcade, Australia’s only dedicated game development co-working space and home to international phenomena Mountains Studio, League of Geeks and Fellow Traveller
- the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association, a well connected peak body made up of members from Ubisoft, Sony, Activision, Electronic Arts, Xbox and Nintendo
- Fortress Melbourne, a huge games entertainment venue and the largest eSports arena in the Southern Hemisphere, covering over 2700 m2
- renowned international gaming events such as
- Melbourne International Games Week - this globally recognised event attracts more than 80,000 gamers and developers each year
- Game Connect Asia Pacific - leading game development conference
- PAX Australia – Australia’s largest dedicated gaming festival which attracts tens of thousands of gaming fans
- a growing number of eSports events that have positioned Melbourne as the eSports hub of Australia, where the Melbourne eSports Open is held
Tap into unmatched government support
The Victorian Government through VicScreen has supported digital games for over 25 years. Through Creative Victoria and VicScreen, Victoria’s creative and economic screen development agency, developers and studios can access investment and incentives as part of the Victorian Government’s $191.5 million four-year screen strategy.
- VicScreen’s suite of digital games funding supports projects, businesses and talent to grow their capability and capacity, secure investment, and build sustainable and globally competitive businesses:
- Victorian Screen Incentive grants of up to 10% of eligible Victorian spend on projects that spend at least A$500,000 on game development in Victoria
- Victorian Production Fund investment of up to A$300,000 per stage and up to A$500,000 for Victorian games companies and developers to develop and release high-quality, diverse and engaging original games
- Games Release funding of up to A$30,000 to assist Victorian games companies and developers to deliver a well-planned and marketed release of their project
Federal tax incentives are also available to games developers in Victoria:
- A 30 per cent tax offset on qualifying expenditure for Australian-based games development
- A generous 38.5 per cent to 43.5 per cent research and development tax refund that can apply to game development
Download our digital games value proposition
Investment opportunities in digital games
Expand your studio internationally with Victoria's digital games strategy webinars
Session hosted by Sharmaine Ramasamy (USA)
Session hosted by Tim Dillion (UK & Europe)
Session hosted by Brett Stevens part 1: Opening and presentation (English with Chinese translations)
Session hosted by Brett Stevens part 2: Q&A and panel discussion (English with Chinese translations)
Incentives to set up your digital games studio in Melbourne
State Government of Victoria support available now
- Grants based on number of jobs created
- Victorian Screen Incentive grant
- Victorian Production Fund investment
- Games Company Placement grants
- Global talent visa support
Australian Government support available July 2022
We can help you with your next market entry project
If you are considering investing in Melbourne, we can help you scope the market opportunity in Melbourne/Australia and assist you with your business case development.
Working with us will allow you to be fully informed and limit the number of surprises associated with your new investment. Our staff are experienced and well connected and can introduce you to potential partners to help make your investment a success.
Contact us
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| UK and Europe enquiries contact Tim Dillon Agent General, UK Email Tim | US enquiries contact Nigel Warren Commissioner, North America Email Nigel | SE Asia enquires contact Michelle Wade Commissioner, South East Asia Email Michelle | All other enquiries contact Craig Harrison Executive Director, Melbourne Email Craig |
Or go to our All Offices page to find your nearest Invest Victorian representative.
