Publishers provided financial support to studios and took over the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of games.
The closure of large studios has paved the way for a new era of development, reminiscent of the golden age of video game design.ĭuring the mid-1970s and early-1980s, game developers often funded and developed video games in their homes and distributed software independently.Īs the industry grew, it was increasingly dominated by corporations. Over the last decade, one-by-one the studios closed their doors due to excessive operating costs, the global financial crisis, and changes to production and distribution pathways.
An evolving industryĪustralia was once home to several big studios, including 2K Australia, Blue Tongue, Pandemic, THQ Australia, and Team Bondi. The global industry generated revenue of almost US$138 billion (A$205 billion) in 2018 and is estimated to reach US$180 billion (A$267 billion) by 2021. In 2018, Australians spent in excess of A$4 billion on video games, and the income generated by Australian game development studios totalled A$118 million, 80% from overseas sales. No country for new videogames: Brandis and Abbott are playing with our creative future The federal government’s Interactive Games Fund was axed in 2014. The same cannot be said for vast majority of independent game development studios across Australia, which continue to operate and succeed despite practically no recognition or support, and the discontinuation of many federal and state government support and funding schemes. These developers all received funding and backing from various government support programs. Untitled Goose Game is the latest in a long line of globally successful video games developed by small-team indie developers in Australia, joining the likes of HalfBrick’s Fruit Ninja, Hipster Whale’s Crossy Road, and Black Lab Games’ Battlestar Galactica Deadlock.