South Australia Announces $300,000 Fund For Video Games

The Australian states might be several years behind the 8-ball when it comes to how video games are classified, but the good news is that they’re getting more and more on the front foot when it comes to funding their development. Enter South Australia.

The state which plays home to several cracking game developers and visual effects studios, including Mighty Kingdom and Hollow Knight developers Team Cherry, announced Thursday afternoon the creation of a $300,000 Innovation Fund exclusive for video games, serious games, the music industry and any AR/VR development.

Projects will be able to earn up to $25,000 in funding per project, with grants going towards developers releasing “new games intended for public release to global audiences, including educational games, narrative and non-narrative format games and ‘serious’ games,” South Australian Innovation and Skills Minister David Pisoni said.

The fund will also provide funding to developers working on “new versions of existing games and franchises” as long as the original IP is owned by a company or developer in South Australia.

The fund, which is accepting submissions from today, will also pay for 15 South Australian developers to attend the Game Connect Asia Pacific conference in Melbourne, the Australian equivalent of GDC which takes place days before PAX Australia.

“This new fund recognises that the creation and retention of original South Australian IP is fundamental to growing the sector in this state, and will help South Australia tap into this lucrative market, creating new revenue opportunities while fostering and growing local talent in the innovation sector,” the Minister said.

All grants will be assessed by a panel of 8, with the board featuring members from the South Australian Film Corporation, the Media Resource Centre, Mighty Kingdom’s director of business development and partnerships, and the chief executive and creative director of the Adelaide Film Festival.