Australian Government to re-establish Interactive Games Fund
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Loading... - Kylie Smith
- 03 Feb 2023
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Australia's new National Cultural Policy will re-establish video game funding for local developers.
As part of Australia’s new National Cultural Policy, the Australian Interactive Games Fund, which was pulled nearly a decade ago, will be re-established in full. The news was announced by Tony Burke MP, the national Minister for the Arts, during the launch celebration for the updated policy.
‘All forms of storytellers now – whether it’s narrative, visual art, music, acting – are finding themselves jobs in the video games industry,’ Burke said in his address. ‘Screen Australia, when you’ve got an industry expanding like this around the world, shouldn’t be left trying to check if there’s some spare change back in the lounge to fund this rapidly growing, AU $4 billion sector.’
‘So we’ll restore the Games Fund for Screen Australia that was abolished nearly 10 years ago.’
The original Australian Interactive Games Fund had a much wider scope than current measures, and provided ample funding for local and international developers. Amongst other titles, it aided the creation of League of Geek’s award-winning Armello, and aided Defiant Development, Flat Earth Games, The Voxel Agents, Loveshack, and many other studios.
Despite the growth of the industry, the original fund was inexplicably pulled by the Abbott government in 2014 when it came into power, leading to an exodus of local game developers overseas, and the shuttering of several major studios.
Burke aided the original establishment of the Australian Interactive Games Fund in 2012 – but it was never able to achieve its full potential, with funding cut off before the promised AU $20 million could be completely spent. At the time, the decision caused major outrage and frustration, with industry leaders calling it a short-sighted decision that was a real blow to the industry, and to the Australian economy. Read More…
