Frosty Games Fest will celebrate Australian and New Zealand-made games

The first show is planned to launch during Summer Game Fest in June 2025.
frosty games fest

Australian and New Zealand-made games will get a chance to shine in the inaugural Frosty Games Fest, set to launch during the week of Summer Game Fest in June 2025. This brand new showcase, curated by an all-star team of ANZ games professionals – Amy Potter, Lucy Mutimer, Pritika Sachdev, and Kieron Verbrugge – will be an opportunity to see brand new game reveals from local developers, given a spotlight they’ve deserved for a long, long time.

The online showcase is supported by Screen Australia’s Games Event Fund, with the organisation sharing a vision of “promoting the culture and creativity in the medium of games, allowing developers to bring their brightest ideas into the world.”

Frosty Games Fest aims to provide a platform to ANZ game developers amidst the hustle and bustle of Summer Game Fest, which traditionally focusses on blockbuster games produced by established overseas studios. There’s hope this showcase will allow global players to discover more about game development in the Southern Hemisphere, and just how cool and creative the local developers of ANZ can be.

“It’s a difficult time to make games right now, and being at the bottom of the globe certainly doesn’t make things easier for ANZ-based devs,” Amy Potter, event director said. “We’re often under-represented on the global stage, and I think that’s criminal considering the outstanding quality of games that are produced in this part of the world!”

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Per Screen Australia Head of Online and Games Lee Naimo, Frosty Games Fest represents a “much needed opportunity” for Australian and New Zealand-based gamemakers to showcase their work in an approachable, curated format.

“Greater visibility for the unique and amazing games being developed here is only a benefit to the wider
Australian games community, and we’re proud to support Frosty Games Fest making that possible,” Naimo said.

For now, exact plans and timing for the inaugural Frosty Games Fest have not been locked in, but over the coming months, we will hear much more about the event and its key participants. You can follow along with developments on the Frosty Games Fest X and Instagram accounts, and sign up for updates on its website.

Developers who are interested in applying to feature in Frosty Games Fest can fill out an expression of interest form on the showcase’s website, or reach out to hello@frostygamesfest.com for more.

Leah J. Williams is a gaming and entertainment journalist who's spent years writing about the games industry, her love for The Sims 2 on Nintendo DS and every piece of weird history she knows. You can find her tweeting @legenette most days.