Post the State Government’s recent budget, Victoria has removed funding to Film Victoria’s funding of video game development — a fund which is partially responsible for Australian success stories such as Firemint and Iron Monkey. But is the damage as bad as initially feared? The message from Antony Reed, CEO of the Game Developers’ Association of Australia is simple: don’t panic.
Canada, with its multiple tax breaks and incentives, is often painted as a mecca for game development, a space where the money always flows and the growth is always facilitated by government investment. But what is our local government doing to stimulate growth in an Australian industry decimated by a series of crushing closures? The answer is simple — a lot more than you think.
