Film Victoria has announced their latest round of games industry support, which sees $4.3 million invested in studios and projects across the state. The lion’s share of the funding will support studios EA Firemonkeys, League of Geeks, and the Melbourne branch of SMG Studio through the Victorian Screen Incentive as they continue to develop titles, and $1.5 million is split between Production Investment Funding and Marketing and Release funding for 21 titles.
The inaugural Victorian Games Development Internship Program has also announced its first participant: The successful recipient of Film Victoria’s inaugural Victorian Games Development Internship has also been announced. Trawlwulwuy man & Luggarrah Founder, David Parkin, has been chosen to undertake an 18-month paid placement with Film Victoria and games studios, League of Geeks and Samurai Punk.
Sixteen games receive Production Investment Funding:
- Aura of Worlds: a roguelite platforming game by Cognitive Forge with an atmospheric pixel art style.
- Azoic: a PC game by Tumbleweed Games in which the player explores an ancient ruin as both an Orb head and its Golem body, and solves puzzles to revitalise the environment.
- Chorus: An Adventure Musical. Summerfall Studios’ debut tile is one part narrative-driven adventure, and one part interactive musical.
- Dawnblade: an immersive, action-packed game by MonsterScope Studios where the player battles its way through a fantasy world in search for the mythical Dawnblade.
- Death of A Partisan (working title): set on the Eastern Front of WW2, this first-person adventure game by Edwin Montgomery, who previously won the Freeplay Experimental Game Award for creative musical game Neon Cyborg Cat Club casts the player as a lone partisan attempting to survive a harsh winter in occupied territory.
- Feasts of Burden: the first game by solo developer Matthew Rowland sees the player create experimental recipes as they travel the world with a caravan of fantastic beasts.
- Junklands by Deadleaf Games, for which no details are currently announced.
- Kinder World: a mobile game from Lumi Interactive where the player takes care of plants and themselves in a relaxing and lush atmosphere of their own design.
- Matchmaker: Dungeon Heart: in this romance puzzle game by Ghost Moth, the player is tasked with befriending and training a dungeon of monsters to lead them to victory against the meddling Forces of Light, and perhaps find true love along the way.
- Moonlight in Garland: a cozy, open-ended simulation game for Mac and PC by Violet LeBeaux about finding your feet in a big city and making a positive impact.
- Postage Game (working title): in this role-playing game by Pink Clouds, the player delivers mail to residents on a small, isolated island village – spreading happiness as they go!
- Riftbound: a PC game by Barrel Smash Studios where the player summons elemental creatures and casts spells to defeat a wave of brittle boned invaders.
- Also funded are two unannounced projects by Grease Monkey Games, and Twice Different, who developed Ring of Pain.
- The Last Exterminator: only one pest exterminator stands between her city and an invasion of alien roaches in this action-packed 90s-style first person game by Ironworks Games.
- Wood & Weather: This silly god-game is Paper House’s second title after Paperbark. It is set in an optimistic wooden city dealing with the effects of unplanned weather.
Marketing & Release funding:
- Cooking in the Rain (working title): a simulation game by Nomo Falls set in a world where it’s raining ingredients and cute animals are waiting to be served delicious meals.
- Dap: an action-adventure game for PC by Melting Parrot about exploring a hostile forest
- world and gathering a following of cute, albeit creepy, little creatures called Daps.
- Eastern Market Murder – the second title in the series of augmented reality games by True Crime Games that challenges players to step back in time to solve murders, taking them through Melbourne’s heritage sites and hidden laneways to actual crime scenes.
- Hot Lap League – the debut title from Ultimate Studio is a car racing game for iOS and Android – the ultimate skill-based driving competition.
- Riftbound – a PC game by Barrel Smash Studios where the player summons elemental creatures and casts spells to defeat a wave of brittle boned invaders.
