The Australian Interactive Games Fund (AIGF) was announced back in 2012 . Managed via Screen Australia (the Australian Federal Government’s key funding body for the local film and television industry), the fund began operating 12 months ago. The purpose of the AIGF was to provide a helping boost to the Australian game development community, providing financial assistance for business growth and encouraging the crafting of new intellectual property that could remain Australian-owned rather than disappear up the sleeve of an international publisher.

“ It is concerning that the decision to end the Australian Interactive Games Fund was made with absolutely no consultation with industry.

Some developers have been able to secure funding through Screen Australia in the past, prior to the introduction of the AIGF. But for the most part before the AIGF was created the Australian game development industry received virtually no support from the Federal Government. the fund had been completely axed . The remaining $10 million in the AIGF has been snaffled back by the Coalition and returned to its coffers.The Game Developers’ Association of Australia (GDAA) is “disappointed and mystified” by the decision and has called it “completely at odds with the government’s claims of support for Australian culture and innovation.”“It is concerning that the decision to end the Australian Interactive Games Fund was made with absolutely no consultation with industry,” said GDAA CEO Antony Reed in a statement following the 2014-15 Budget announcement.Reed said the GDAA has made “numerous attempts” to contact the Attorney-General’s office over the last few months, and has provided it with economic data that highlights key global successes of the Australian games industry.“We have yet to receive a single response,” said Reed.

We've been informed that if you like giant, flying, undead sharks, OTTTD may be the game for you.

“ [T]he funding we got has created jobs.

“ We should be investing in smart industries, not just mining.

Sydney-based SMG Studio was one of just 10 companies funded by Screen Australia’s Games Enterprise grant before the funding was cut. Its next game, OTTTD (Over The Top Tower Defense), is due to release this Thursday, May 22“We started in July 2013 and have worked on it full time ever since,” says Ash Ringrose. “There’s been three people full time on it.”“Through the dev process we also had a student work with us (paid) for three months and collaborated with a local composer for the soundtrack. We’ve also hired another full-time employee to allow us to continue on OTTTD and our next game at the same time. If OTTTD is successful we’ll be hiring the student. She’s waiting for the call!”“[T]he funding we got has created jobs,” he says. “[Without it] OTTTD would have been like our previous titles and always a side project, destined to take four years or more. The fund gave us a runway of three years to make something happen. A runway that without the support would have been very hard to create without taking on private investment in which we give away part ownership.”“The little bone we were given has been taken back. I don’t think the USA gets much funding or subsidies but I know Canada does and that’s what I thought we’d end up getting. No funding, just tax breaks [or] incentives. We got neither.”“Gaming is one industry Australia should be investing in, as it can scale easily and exports worldwide. We should be investing in smart industries, not just mining.”Ringrose is as confused as the GDAA at the lack of consultation or discussion regarding the axing of the AIGF.“Our funding has two more years to go and at the end of that I’m not sure who will be there to audit the ROI on that and show how it performed. Screen Australia had a very attentive and passionate group of people who wanted this to succeed and be a self-sufficient fund.”

“ [T]he benefits of our grant are practically incalculable at this point.

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“ [I]t definitely sends a clear message that the government has no interest in Australians competing in this industry.

Sanatana Mishra from Brisbane-based Witch Beam is similarly disappointed with the Federal Government’s plan to yank the funding. Mishra asserts the AIGF has had a “huge impact” on the team and the development of its game Assault Android Cactus The positive reception of Assault Android Cactus resulted in invitations to several major international games expos, like Eurogamer Expo, PAX, GDC and more, being sent in Witch Beam’s direction.“Without the AIGF we would not have been able to even consider these incredible opportunities,” says Mishra.“[T]he benefits of our grant are practically incalculable at this point.”Mishra’s first thought when he heard the AIGF had been axed was panic that the team’s remaining funding would be pulled, and that it would become very difficult to finish the PS4, PS Vita and Wii U versions of Assault Android Cactus.“[T]hankfully that is not the case,” says Mishra. “That selfish thought quickly faded though as I started thinking about what this will do to our industry and all the exciting projects that could end up shelved or moved overseas.”“I’ve already seen one mass exodus from Australia during my time in this industry and not many of those incredibly talented developers came back, as they seem pretty happy at Blizzard, Remedy, Rockstar and so on.“And just a heads up to the government; those high income tax dollars aren’t coming back either.”“Over the last few years we’ve been slowly building up Australian developers that aren’t reliant on a weak dollar to entice unsustainable foreign contracts for games nobody else wants to make,” he says. “[T]he AIGF was an incredible accelerator for that process and came in at a time when this industry needed it most.”“I don't believe it being cut will outright kill our local industry because we’re stronger now than we were three years ago, but it definitely sends a clear message that the government has no interest in Australians competing in this industry.”

“ [I]t will likely take longer to repair the damage than the Abbott government will be in office for.

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Melbourne-based Loveshack Entertainment, the team behind the multi-award winning Framed , received Screen Australia support in the past, albeit prior to the introduction of the AIGF.Loveshack’s Joshua Boggs is unsurprised by the news.“What's particularly sad is that they’ve murdered a program which was in the process of evolving into something great; it will likely take longer to repair the damage than the Abbott government will be in office for.”“The Interactive Game Fund program was about creating a self-sustaining ecosystem for an artform of the future to thrive in. It’s helped keep talented creative people in Australia to help the community here grow, whilst assisting the community in becoming more culturally relevant. With the fund axed overnight, the government is sending a clear message about how relevant the arts are to a culturally diverse nation, and that art, ideas, and unique experiences are not as important as cold hard cash.”