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Change to Film Victoria’s Games Release program allows companies to ‘apply any time’ 

Industry Updates  31 Jan 2019

The international games industry is booming, generating US$100 billion a year in revenue and growing. And Australia is part of this exciting growth trajectory, generating A$2.6 billion in revenue in 2017, with Victoria leading the way – boasting over 140 game development studios.

But, while consumer demand for games is growing, so too is the clutter of choices in the global marketplace, which is why a marketing plan and a release strategy can make or break a game’s success.

Film Victoria has responded directly to industry feedback and has now made its Games Release program – which supports the marketing and release of games – available on demand, allowing studios to individually determine the best time to release their games.

Film Victoria has today announced the first recipients to have received Games Release funding on demand, and one beneficiary was Mark White of Yak & Co.

“When launching our games, the exact release date is carefully planned around events and marketing opportunities. By changing the Games Release funding to an ‘apply any time’ basis, it means we can align our marketing spend to our planned launch date much more efficiently, which is already proving to be a huge help for the 2019 release of our game, Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise,” White said.  

Film Victoria CEO, Caroline Pitcher, said the changes are all part of Film Victoria’s commitment to responding to industry needs and market dynamics.

“Changing the Games Release program to an on demand basis means that it complements the time-sensitive nature of release strategies, and local studios have the best chance at cutting through in what is a highly cluttered market. We are thrilled to have already supported a number of games to make more impactful releases via this revised funding model.”  

The first six projects to be supported through the revised program see local game developers share over $170,000 to invest into their game’s marketing and release. They are:

  • Screencheat: Unplugged from Samurai Punk – a split-screen shooter where everyone is invisible and you have to "screencheat". Now updated and enhanced for Nintendo Switch!
  • The Forgotten City, by Modern Storyteller – a stand-alone re-imagining of the award-winning, critically acclaimed mod, The Forgotten City; a narrative-driven time-loop murder mystery.
  • Hyper Jam, by Bit Dragon – a neon soaked arena brawler where players gain new power-ups each round, resulting in a unique experience every game.
  • Necrobarista, by Route 59 – a cinematic visual novel about a magical Melbourne cafe where the dead come back for one last night.
  • Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise by Yak & Co. – a quirky secret agent puzzle/escape game where the player’s mission is to infiltrate enemy spy Ruby La Rouge's secret hideaway and catch her!
  • STONE, by Convict Games – a hip hop noir interactive story that follows Stone, a koala detective with an appetite for hedonism who wakes to find his chookie Alex has been kidnapped.

Film Victoria’s Games Release program specifically supports games studios with the marketing and distribution of their games and is part of Film Victoria’s slate of programs that support the games industry, investing $1.55 million to support the production and release of 32 games projects in the last financial year alone.

For more information, visit the Games Release funding page on the Film Victoria website.