The South Australian Film Corporation has confirmed it will support 11 in-development video game projects through its newly-established Digital Games Fund, providing a share of $500,000 for developers.
In addition, the organisation has also confirmed the establishment of a special industry advisory board to ‘provide strategic direction and guidance across the agency’s suite of games programs and initiatives’.
Going forward, SAFC aims to provide more tangible support to its local game developers, in tandem with the return of existing initiatives like the annual South Australian Game Exhibition.
South Australian games funding – quick links
SAFC’s new Games Industry Advisory Group
The newly-appointed Games Industry Advisory Group includes the following experts from the local South Australian games industry:
- Arthur Ah Chee, Founder of Cerulean Creative Studios
- Onnie Chan, Founder of Women in Creative Tech and Dream Divers Interactive
- Kim Forrest, Head of Studio at Tantalus South
- Chad Habel, Production Manager at Bad Plan Studios
- Ben Kirchner, Business Investment Advisor at AEDA
- Cam Rogers, Principal at Cam Rogers Legal
The group will be tasked with ensuring that future SAFC decisions impacting the the state’s games industry will be informed by sector experience and knowledge, to better serve the local developer cohort and their needs.
SAFC Head of Production Leanna Saunders said the funding body looked forward to working with the new Games Industry Advisory Group members, ‘as we continue to grow and evolve our suite of programs and initiatives supporting the local game development sector’.
New projects supported by SAFC
As part of its push to better support the local industry, the SAFC also announced the inaugural recipients of the Digital Games Fund, which is designed to help South Australian developers take their projects to the next phase, grow their business and eventually prepare for game release.
There were over 50 applications for the fund, with a final group of 11 recipients representing projects across a range of genres and styles. Here’s the complete list of games to be supported:
- The Troll & the Witch’s House by Little Bandit, solo developer Ditte Wad-Andersen – A fun point-and-click adventure and puzzle game where you play as a troll trapped in a strange house filled with mysteries. Winner SAGE Best in Exhibition 2026.
- Yakshini Lokam by Soft Magnets, lead developer Orlando Mee – A whimsical turn-based action-adventure where you play as a family of four magically transported from Hyderabad, India to battle against a kingdom of magical creatures.
- Life, Death and Ramen by We Made a Thing Studios, lead developers Jeremy Kelly-Bakker and Tom Phillips – You and your helpers, the Ramenlings, run a ramen truck on an alien planet, cooking by day and avoiding monsters by night.
- Pro Jank Footy by Powerbomb Games, lead developers David Ashby and Tyler Roach – A fun Australian rules football game fusing action-packed retro arcade-style gameplay with absurd Aussie humour. Winner SAGE Best in Exhibition 2025.
ScreenHub: Aussie video game Pro Jank Footy set to launch on PC and consoles in 2026
- TOYA. by The RnD Department, lead developers Rupert McPharlin and Daniel D’Cruz – A minimalist puzzle game where you guide a colourful cube through an evolving abstract landscape, with music from former Cirque du Soleil musician Chris Norton. Winner SAGE Elevate Award 2025.
- Pipsqueak! by Pond Games, lead developer Daniel Freer – A 2D action platformer starring Tofu, a tiny mouse exploring a strange and hostile world.
- Delphinium by Cinnadev, lead developer Heidi Borge – A story-driven farming simulator in which cultivating connections with those around you matters just as much as growing your crops.
ScreenHub: Delphinium – Aussie-made cosy farming sim to be published by Serenity Forge
- One Pop Planet by Mauii Makes Games, solo developer Lyndon Cullen-Reid – Match the pieces as they fall in this fun puzzle game.
- End of Ember by Bad Plan Studios, lead developers Chad Habel and Daniel McGuiness – Kill demons and fight weird and gross bosses in this totally unhinged game that pays homage to horror movie franchises.
- Photo Roboto by Monomyth Games, lead developers Quincy Geary and Tristram Geary – Use your Timewarp Camera to help Peppino the Roboto run his photography business, explore the island of Pallacanezza, and solve the Mysterious Curse!
- Peppermint by Cowboy Fish, solo developer Samara Kelly – Play as Pepper Mint as she battles her way through a melting candy world in this cute, sweet and macabre action-adventure game.
We expect to see much more from these projects in the coming months and years.
