Screen NSW has unlocked almost $450,000 in funding for NSW game developers, supporting the creation of new games and new connections at high profile industry events.
Across Screen NSW’s Digital Games Seed Development, PAX Market Support Program and Gamescom 2026 Travel Support Program, $448,535 in funding has been delivered to emerging and established NSW developers and game makers, supporting 24 games across the three programs.
The Digital Games Seed Development Program, which first launched in March 2024, provides grants of up to $30,000 to support games at early-stage development to progress to the next milestone. The support will also assist developers prepare their projects to attract further investment, an important stepping stone for projects to enter full-scale development. In 2026, 14 games have been supported, showcasing the depth and range of creativity found in the games sector in NSW.
Screen NSW also continues to support NSW game developers to access key market and industry opportunities. For the second year in a row, Screen NSW will have a dedicated section in the PAX Rising showcase at PAX Aus, one of Australia’s premier gaming events hosted in Melbourne from 9 – 11 October 2026. Through the PAX Market Support Program, 10 NSW-based independent game developers will have the opportunity to showcase their games at PAX Aus. Screen NSW also supported GCAP (Games Connect Asia Pacific), Australia’s leading professional development and networking conference for game developers, as a silver sponsor in 2026. PAX Aus and GCAP are both key cornerstone events at Melbourne International Games Week.
Four experienced developers were also supported to travel to Gamescom in August 2026 with support from Screen NSW’s Gamescom 2026 Travel Support Program. Gamescom is an annual one-of-a-kind event held in Cologne, Germany and showcases the latest in gaming, hosts hands on exhibitions and provides attendees with exclusive insights into the games industry.
The opportunity to attend key gaming events enables NSW-based developers to network, gain insight into the wider screen sector and receive valuable exposure for their games to players, media and industry professionals.
To provide more flexible travel support for industry, Screen NSW has now established a combined Screen and Digital Games Travel Fund, which is open year-round. The fund assists NSW digital games and screen practitioners with travel costs related to key domestic and international events. Eligible games destinations include Melbourne International Games Week, BitSummit, Games Developer Conference and Gamescom from 2027. The year-round application process will allow developers to apply for funding on a rolling basis.
Visit the Screen NSW website for more information and to apply: https://www.screen.nsw.gov.au/funding-support/screen-and-digital-games-travel-fund
Executive Director Screen NSW Kylie Munnich said:
“NSW is home to some of the most exciting talent in game development and this funding delivered through Screen NSW helps them take their ideas further, both at home and around the world.
“Screen NSW’s support for game development and market travel programs is helping our state’s developers and game makers compete on the world stage.
“These recipients represent the calibre of talent and innovation coming out of NSW, and this investment means they can develop bold new projects and connect with domestic and international markets and partners.
“Backing our screen industry means supporting jobs, creativity and NSW’s reputation as a leading destination for game development.”
Event Director PAX Australia, Lauren Luciani said:
“Independent developers are a cornerstone of PAX Aus, and we're delighted to partner with Screen NSW to support the next generation of NSW game creators as they showcase their work in PAX Rising.”
Background information:
Screen NSW’s Digital Games Seed Development Program 2026 recipients:
Game: Anticitizen: Red (Studio: Queebly Software)
Team members: Sam Lovell, Freya Jarrett, and James Turnbull
Synopsis: In a dystopian future where an all-powerful American corporation controls Australia, an ex-military cyborg bloke and the consciousness of a acerbic gang leader are unwillingly bound together and drawn into a conspiracy that could bring Neo-Sydney to its knees.
Game: Bird House (Studio: Chaos Theory Games)
Team members: James Lockrey, Veronica Sue, Jennyfer Ong, Nicholas King, Theo Dales and Jessamine Robinson
Synopsis: Build an Australian bird reserve, photograph new species, and hire a crew of eccentric birders to help, creating a sanctuary for native birds and reconnecting with the natural world.
Game: CORNELIUS (Studio: Robotfist)
Team members: Russell Eastgate
Synopsis: CORNELIUS is set inside a vast cryonic re‑animation facility where four people awaken centuries after their deaths. Each floor manifests a resident’s deepest fears while an algorithmic surveillance system monitors, manipulates, and distorts their sense of self. To survive, a revived patient must uncover the truth behind a future that didn’t ask for them.
Game: Cow Chess (Studio: LABLAB INTERACTIVE PTY LTD)
Team members: Andrew Capela and Wayne Petzler
Synopsis: In a chaotic competitive arena where physics, skill, and absurdity collide, players battle their friends across destructible environments, mastering bizarre movement abilities and evolving powers to become the last one standing.
Game: From The Top: Chimera Overdrive (Studio: Junkfall33)
Team members: Jansen Chandra and Jennifer Gao
Synopsis: In a near-future Western Sydney shaped by housing pressures and economic uncertainty, an aspiring battler enters high-stakes spinning-top tournaments, building powerful chimera creations in pursuit of the one thing that feels increasingly out of reach: a home.
Game: KING OUT (Studio: SaltyPep Games)
Team members: Koji Yajima, Carter Quinn
Synopsis: KING OUT is a 1v1 online multiplayer Chess-Boxing game where players muster the strategy within chaos. Draft your pieces, navigate your moves in chess, then nominate your piece to become a fighter, and box on the board against your opponent. Capture or K.O. your opponent's last King to win!
Game: LIGHTSPEED OUTLAW (Studio: Six Shot Games)
Team members: Ailin Gist, Jennyfer Ong, Theo Dales and Sophia Westmacott
Synopsis: A lone space outlaw with the power of precognition navigates a lawless frontier, using glimpses of the future to outwit enemies, survive impossible gunfights, and carve their own path through the stars.
Game: Lustration (Studio: New Canvas in partnership with Chaos Theory Games)
Team members: Nathan Anderson, Nico King, Ryan Griffen, Jennyfer Ong and Veronica Sue
Synopsis: When a detective investigating a mysterious murder is forced into the afterlife, she uncovers a conspiracy that manipulates both the living and the dead, and must risk her sanity to expose the truth.
Game: No Humanity - Internship (Studio: SweatyChair)
Team members: Brian Zou, Alexandra Chase, Alexander Le, Chun-Ping Hsieh, Christian McFarlene, Ruby Lewis
Synopsis: An underqualified intern stranded in deep space must survive hostile worlds, build a chaotic colony of cloned coworkers, and turn cosmic disaster into opportunity using a rope, quick thinking, and a healthy disregard for safety.
Game: Patintero (Studio: Angel Forge Studios)
Team members: Michaela Taweel and Vivienne Taweel
Synopsis: Inspired by the beloved Filipino street game, Patintero challenges players to outsmart, evade, and tag their opponents in fast-paced multiplayer matches where quick thinking, teamwork, and friendly competition determine who comes out on top.
Game: SpyRL (Studio: Bunnies and Turtle )
Team members: Kyle Orth and Daniel Orth
Synopsis: When a group of friends become secret agents, they discover spies hiding among them. Moving through real-world spaces with their phones, they must complete covert missions, survive sabotage and ticking bombs, and bluff, accuse and outwit one another until the last traitor is unmasked.
Game: The Big Sand Game (Studio: N/A)
Team members: Sally Coleman, Holly Hunter, Angela Sae-Lam, Jonathan Moallem and Ben Kelly
Synopsis: It's tough being a pop singer with writer's block in a dystopian desert full of giant bugs. Nobody said the music industry was easy. Get your spark back in the Big Sand Game: collect musical fragments, help some very odd characters with their problems, and compose an original song.
Game: Untitled (Studio: Soft Trigger)
Team members: David Zhang, Isobel Stenhouse and Emma McCann
Synopsis: All Anna wanted was to meet her idol. By morning, her idol is dead and someone wants her silenced too.
Game: Your Party Blows A** (Studio: Walky Squawky)
Team members: Andrew Renn, Hugh Guest, Damian McGivney, Rachel Marriott, Matthew Davis, Chris Bakic and Nicholas Sycamore-Mastello
Synopsis: Your Party Blows A** is a Conversational Hand-and-Slash Bullet-Hell about literally fighting your demons as you escape a party you don't want to be at.
Screen NSW’s Gamescom 2026 Market Travel Program recipients:
Recipient: Brendan Votano (Studio: Steep Summit Studios)
Game: Grove Keeper
Recipient: Brian Zou (Studio: SweatyChair)
Game: No Humanity - Internship
Recipient: Emerson Phillips (Studio: Tetra Studios)
Game: ShatterRush
Recipient: Morgan Lean (Studio: Epiphany Games)
Game: Beyond the Black Sea
Screen NSW’s PAX Market Support Program 2026 recipients:
Recipient: Amy Roche (Studio: Unresolved Conflicts Games)
Game: Unspoken
Recipient: Bryn Welch (Studio: Droptable Games)
Game: Trailbreakers (formerly known as Dungeon Breakers)
Recipient: Brian Zou (Studio: Sweaty Chair)
Game: No Humanity - Internship
Recipient: Elric Milton (Studio: N/A)
Game: Weavemarch (formerly known as Twin Keeps)
Recipient: Emerson Phillips (Studio: Tetra Studios)
Game: ShatterRush
Recipient: Koji Yajima (Studio: SaltyPep Games)
Game: KING OUT
Recipient: Mike Roberts (Studio: TKFY)
Game: LOVE X LOVE
Recipient: Richard Salter (Studio: Hojo Studio)
Game: BraveCart
Recipient: Samuel Coa (Studio: N/A)
Game: Multi-Merge Mayhem
Recipient: William Major (Studio: T&DA)
Game: Plonk a 4D Puzzle
Image: Lightspeed Outlaw, Image courtesy Six Shot Games