South Australia doubles its Digital Games Fund to A$1m
The state's second funding round is twice the size of the first and arrives with a placement programme that subsidises developer salaries for up to a year.
South Australia's Digital Games Fund will distribute A$1 million in its second round, double the A$500,000 shared between 11 studios in the first, in what the state describes as its largest single investment in game development.
How the round is split
The fund has three streams: up to A$30,000 for pre-production work including prototypes, proof-of-concept builds, early design and market testing; up to A$150,000 for production as projects move towards commercial release; and up to A$50,000 for post-release work such as localisation and porting. Applications open on Wednesday 21 October.
A placement programme on top
Alongside the fund, the South Australian Film Corporation is launching a Games Studio Placement Program that will subsidise salary and superannuation for six- or 12-month full-time roles at eligible local studios, aimed at emerging and mid-career developers. It is expected to open later in 2026.
"The SAFC is delighted to double down on our support for South Australia's video game sector," said acting chief executive Leanne Saunders. Arts minister Kyam Maher said the expanded fund would give local developers more opportunities to build ambitious, globally competitive games in the state.
What else is on offer
The round sits alongside the South Australian Video Game Development Rebate, a 10 per cent rebate on eligible projects with a minimum A$250,000 spend in the state, which the government says has supported more than 40 games including work for Nintendo and Microsoft. Two South Australian projects, Little Bandit's The Troll & The Witch's House and Cowboy Fish's Peppermint, have been selected to exhibit at PAX Aus in Melbourne.
Our opinion
Public games funding is usually judged on whether it eventually produces a hit, which is the wrong test for a A$1 million round. The number that matters is 11 studios, because that is what the pilot round actually reached, and the interesting addition this year is the placement programme rather than the extra A$500,000. Grant money buys prototypes. Payroll support buys teams, and teams are what keep a small development scene from dissolving between projects. If the placement scheme survives contact with studio balance sheets, it will do more for South Australia than doubling the fund.