South Australia is pressing play on bigger game ambitions. The state government has doubled its Digital Games Fund (DGF) to US$1 million, marking its largest single investment in game development and giving local studios a bigger power-up to take their ideas from pixels to players.
Run by the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC), South Australian Government statutory corporation, the second DGF round follows last year’s US$500,000 pilot, which backed 11 studios, a polish video game developer and publisher. This time, the fund covers more ground and more stages of the game-development grind.
The DGF now comes with three funding streams. Pre-production projects can receive up to US$30,000 for prototypes, proof-of-concept work, early design and market testing. Production-stage projects can level up with up to US$150,000, while post-release work, including localisation and porting, can access up to US$50,000.
The SAFC is also bringing fresh players into the game with its new game studio placement program, an investment in both people and businesses. The initiative will support paid six- or 12-month full-time placements for early- and mid-career creators, with eligible studios receiving subsidised salary and superannuation support.
The fund is designed to boost original games from South Australia, help studios scale up and give local IP a shot at global play. The pilot round attracted more than 50 applications, with its winners already scoring some serious achievements.
Powerbomb Games, South Australian indie video games developer and Tinkertown’s Pro Jank Footy, kicked things into high gear by reaching the top spot on Nintendo Switch. Bad Plan Studios secured a publishing deal with Thailand-based Rising Tide Publishing for End of Ember, while Little Bandit’s The Troll & The Witch’s House and Cowboy Fish’s Peppermint were selected for exhibition at Pax Australia, Australia’s biggest celebration of games and gaming culture.
The DGF and studio placement program also create a pathway into the existing SA Video Game Development (VGD) rebate. Launched in 2020, the scheme offers a 10 per cent rebate on eligible projects with a minimum South Australian spend of US$250,000. More than 40 games have received support through the rebate so far.
SAFC acting CEO Leanne Saunders shared, “The SAFC is delighted to double down on our support for South Australia’s video game sector with a second round of our DGF offering twice the funding opportunities for local developers and studios to bring their new and innovative games to life. In addition, our new games studio placement program is an investment in both people and businesses, helping South Australian games studios grow their teams while giving the next generation of developers an opportunity to establish themselves in the industry.”
Applications for the DGF open on 21 October, while the placement programme is expected to launch later this year.
