Economic development organisation Invest Gold Coast has released a new State of the City 2026 report identifying the Gold Coast’s swiftly-growing screen and game production sector as a major ‘priority’ area that is set to shape the state’s future economy.
It’s one of six pillar industries where investment, demand and commercial strength are growing, leading to new investment opportunities, jobs growth, and more.
Alongside the screen and production industry, which is listed sixth, other growth sectors for the Gold Coast are: the knowledge economy; the health and wellbeing sector; building future industries; tourism, sport and major events; and education and future skills.
Invest Gold Coast is calling for increased support across these sectors, with a view to scale ‘more deliberately’ with the right investment, skills and partnerships, and to align the state’s major strengths with global demand.
Gold Coast State of the City 2026 – quick links
The growth of Gold Coast’s screen and games sector
As shared in the report, the Gold Coast’s screen and production sector is currently on a strong growth trajectory. It current supports around 2500 full-time equivalent jobs in the state, and produces an estimated $420 million in gross value added.
Since the 2020-21 period, that value has grown by 77%. Since the 2011-12 period, it’s grown 61%.
‘It is time to back the industries where the Gold Coast has real strength, clear demand and the room to scale,’ the Invest Gold Coast report says.
‘With the right investment, infrastructure, skills and partnerships, these [overarching priority] sectors can drive a more competitive and more globally connected economy. They are where the Gold Coast’s next gains in productivity, exports, skills and investment are most likely to come from.’
On the screen and game production sector specifically, the report notes that developers and creatives are giving the state ‘a stronger creative and globally visible economic edge’. The Gold Coast region currently boasts strong and growing screen production infrastructure, as well as talented local crew, all of which are contributing to significant growth and worldwide recognition.
‘Over the past five years, City-supported productions have generated more than $1 billion in production expenditure and supported nearly 7000 jobs, showing the sector’s wider value to the Gold Coast economy,’ the report says.
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Strength across production, post-production, game development, digital content, creative technology, studio infrastructure and specialist crew have all been identified as key economic drivers, and those cementing the Gold Coast’s global reputation.
Notably, the report also outlines strong economic return on investment as a benefit, with ‘few sectors of this size’ delivering the same level of return, supply chain activation or global visibility.
What’s next for the Gold Coast?
Given the benefits outlined in the report, Invest Gold Coast is advocating for increased support to ‘retain more of the economic value generated by screen production within the Gold Coast’.
The aim is to build stronger post-production infrastructure and skills, to ensure that talent remains in the Gold Coast, drawn by strong incentives, and that global productions may be more attracted to the region. That includes strengthening daily living infrastructure in the region like housing, transport and services that will support workers.
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The report also recommends that training pathways are expanded, to ‘keep the workforce ahead of demand’, and that a greater focus is placed on attracting productions to the state to ensure continued, sustainable economic contribution.
‘The Gold Coast has always been an attraction for the film and screen industry, but in recent years it has cemented its position as Australia’s primary city for the industry thanks to our world-class facilities at Village Roadshow Studios, our experienced and talented crew, the vast variety of locations, the desirability of our incentives, and the emergence of bespoke creative hubs,’ said Village Roadshow Studios President Lynne Benzie in the report.
‘The industry extends beyond the screen, and has a positive economic impact for Queensland, generating millions by engaging a supply chain of small businesses across a range of connected industries, along with supporting thousands of local cast and crew.’
Production bases in Shadowbox Studios, Home of the Arts, the Miami Arts Depot and the future Gold Coast Arena were also labelled as significant cultural assets, all of which are contributing to existing growth and operating as hubs for longer-term success.
Invest Gold Coast has labelled the Gold Coast as ‘a city that says yes’, with its report pushing for more government and investor-led ‘yeses’ to projects that support future opportunity, investment, enterprise, talent, global markets, visitors, events and experiences and partnerships, as well as projects that shape what comes next for the region.
‘The city’s next chapter will be shaped by those ready to build it. With the platform in place, the opportunity now is to turn that momentum into long-term value.’
