Christmas comes early for Victoria's games industry

David Swan
Friday, 23 December 2011 14:31

IT Industry - Strategy

Victoria's creative industries are set for a budget boost just in time for Christmas, with an added $2.3 million in State Government funding for the state's film, television and games sectors.

Minister for Innovation, Services and Small Business Louise Asher yesterday announced $2.3 million in funding to support 18 diverse projects, including video game such as 'Armello', 'Blastpoints' and 'Dance Off.'

Ms Asher said that the additional funding will lead to new jobs and a stronger local economy.

'The projects announced today are estimated to lead to a total expenditure of almost $30 million in the state and to create an estimated 1,400 jobs for Victorians,' Ms Asher said.

'By investing in 18 quality projects through Film Victoria's Production Investment and Games Investment programs, we are assisting local screen practitioners to create content that significantly contributes to Victoria's economy.

'This latest funding announcement brings the total film and television projects supported by Coalition Government since December 2010 to 39, resulting in almost $200 million in total production expenditure for Victoria.'

Included in this round are six fiction television projects, one fiction feature film, five factual television projects and six games projects.

The new games investment is worth $198,000), and will "assist Victorian games developers to create a diverse range of games for any distribution platform with an emphasis on technical, creative or design innovation."

The six projects funded in this round are:

·     Armello
·     Blastpoints
·     Dance Off
·     Influx
·     Man in a Maze
·     Splat Attack