Originate Games round two cohort. L to R, standing: Althea Francisco, Sara Litzenberger, Aw Myat Khin, Helen Nguyen, Harvey Dang, Maize Wallin, Kay-Lynn Cavanagh, Samara-Jade Sendek, Quinn Franks.
L to R, sitting: Elliot Herriman, Winston Tang, Joel Davison, Sasha Mutch. Photo by Jess Apap.

The second round of VicScreen’s Originate Games program is officially underway, with six projects selected to be part of this dynamic development program. 

These six projects join the five projects from the first Originate Games cohort, taking part in mentoring and professional development activities throughout 2024 and 2025.

Originate Games round one and two cohort. L to R top row, standing: Sara Litzenberger, Helen Nguyen, Harvey Dang, Althea Francisco, Aw Myat Khin, Maize Wallin, Jae Stuart, Kay-Lynn Cavanagh, Samara-Jade Sendek, Quinn Franks, Asha Waterman, Percy Harris, Mickey Krekelberg, Luke Rotella.
L to R front row, sitting/standing: Elliot Herriman, Winston Tang, Joel Davison, Sasha Mutch, Chantel Eagle, Sunny Tandoc. Photo by Jess Apap.

The selected projects for the second round of Originate Games include:

Brine Pool

Key creatives: Quinn Franks
Project: Brine Pool is a short 3D narrative-based game, set in a distorted reality of Melbourne. It follows a cast of strange and surreal characters who allow their bizarre delusions to come to the surface. 

Port Eira

Key creatives: Elliot Herriman, Sara Litzenberger, Cain Maddox 
Project: Investigate an impossible murder and solve unresolved mysteries from the past in Port Eira, futuristic city on the brink of revolution. Port Eira is a mystery game that features unique deduction mechanics, a memorable cast of characters, and a perplexing (and interconnected) set of cases to solve.

Project Dairy Cat 

Key creatives: Sasha Mutch, Joel Davison, Olivia Ong, Kathryn Gledhill-Tucker, Jess Cero 
Project: Project Dairy Cat is a deckbuilding tile-based tactics game where you follow a crew of space pirates who commit faster than light heists. Each card in your deck is a memory belonging to yourself or one of your colourful crew members, and through the course of unlocking cards the player will learn about the histories and stories of their lovable comrades.

Project Nirvana (working title)

Key creatives: Winston Tang with consultants Duy Tran, Cam Rogers, John Powers, Leesa Davis 
Project: Project Nirvana (working title) is a Buddhism-inspired souls-like game about a warrior caught in an endless cycle of rebirth and their spiritual journey towards liberation from suffering.

Reaprieve

Key creatives: Harvey Dang, Althea Francisco, Helen Nguyen, Aw Myat Khin, Luke Kemp 
Project: An existential 3D adventure game where you work a simple office job: reap a soul’s desires in record time or suffer a deadly cost, your break, your sanity, or worse, Employee-of-the-Year. 

Unannounced Title 

Key creatives: Kay-Lynn Cavanagh, Nayuka Gorrie, Samara-Jade Sendek, Maize Wallin 
Project: Developed by Weird Flex, a community development studio. 

Learn more about the participants of the 2023 Originate Games alumni and their projects here vicscreen.vic.gov.au/news/groundbreaking-game-development-initiative-returns

Visit our website to learn more about VicScreen’s Digital Games programs vicscreen.vic.gov.au/funding/games/