Nine game developers receive funding boost

Nine local game developers are set to share in $435,710 to drive the development of new games content, thanks to our latest round of games production funding.

The funding will strengthen individual companies and enable them to develop high-quality projects that keep Victoria competitive on a global level.

The supported games span a diverse range of styles, genres and gameplay, including interactive narrative experiences centering on Australian voices, puzzle games for mobile, RPGs (role-playing games) and VR (virtual reality).

Demonstrating the innovation in Victoria’s games community and its reputation as a leader in Australia’s games sector, several of the supported projects are exploring new technology and challenging convention.

Prolific independent game developer Torus Games is revolutionising RPGs with The Ashen King (working title), while startup tech company Darkspede is reinventing the VR experience in Phantom Realm: Titan Descent by creating brand new hardware and allowing the player to make choices which impact the future story.

CEO of Darkspede, Yifeng Chen said, “For Phantom Realm: Titan Descent we’re creating new technology that will change the way players interact with VR space and offer a truly immersive experience, including through a real-time tracking system and wearable devices. With the support of Film Vic, our team will be equipped to tackle the challenge and build this new system; it would be a difficult road to go down on our own."

Funded through Assigned Production Investment – Games program, the nine supported games are:

• Cybermonk, by FEED – a quick-thinking multiplayer puzzle game in which clans of cyborg monks compete in a deadly ritual.
• Dungeon Crash (working title), by Robot Circus – an exciting new rogue-like/puzzle game for mobile.
• Grimoire (working title), by Common Material – a single-player, spell-crafting puzzle sandbox game where you design and build intricate magic spells, earn arcane rewards, and uncover forgotten secrets.
• Phantom Realm: Titan Descent, by Darkspede – a story-driven, multi-player free roaming virtual reality experience that allows up to six players to cooperate and conquer in a 300 square meters open space without wires or hassle.
• The Ashen King (working title), by Torus Games – a brand new IP centered around a tactical role-playing game that combines deep and addictive character systems evocative of classic 90s RPGs with a dynamic take on turn-based combat.
• Chaos Tavern, by DragonBear Studios -– can you and your friends handle running a magical tavern in a fantasy world? Play as four underdog adventurers as they race to pay off their mortgage and break the curse on an enchanted tavern.
• Virtual Fighting Championship by L&L Technology – a street fighter game with a twist, VFC brings the fighting game genre into another dimension with the help of VR technology.
• Wayward Strand, by Ghost Pattern – also funded in a previous round, Wayward Strand is an interactive story about Casey, a teenage girl who explores an airborne hospital, getting to know the patients within.
• An exciting unannounced Games Workshop licensed product by Steel Sky Productions, a new Melbourne outfit, working in collaboration with Tin Man Games.

Find out more about Film Victoria’s Assigned Production Investment – Games program.