State of Play, an independent organisation that aims to raise the profile of New South Wales-based video game developers, has opened submissions for its 2026 survey.
The intent of the survey is to deliver a comprehensive look at independent game developers working within NSW, highlighting the successes and challenges facing them. With enough data points, State of Play can then use survey results to advocate for better funding opportunities, and provide further support for the sector’s future growth.
NSW Independent Developer Survey – quick links
Now open: NSW Independent Developer Survey 2026
All NSW-based video game developers are encouraged to participate in the survey, to help gather data on the state of the local games industry, and where change is needed.
Per State of Play, local developers and development teams ‘of all sizes’ are welcome to participate, as well as developers who’ve recently left NSW for one reason or another.
Questions chart a range of topics, including developer location, age, job position, experience, the cost of shipping games, what funding could support, studio size, and more.
Data will feed into the State of Play annual report, which the industry organisation says is ‘used to inform the strategy of screen bodies, state and federal government agencies’.
State of Play’s mission
State of Play sees the survey as a significant tool for illuminating the current status of game development within NSW, which it can then use to provide a clear picture to funding bodies.
The organisation is focused on improving funding and support within the state, particularly when it comes to production and mid-career development, creating visibility for NSW indie games, building community, and advocacy work.
On the State of Play team are an array of local NSW developers, organisers and advocates, who self-fund the activities of State of Play. The board includes:
- Rick Salter – co-founder of Hojo Studio (The Godfeather), who brings over 20 years of experience in indie game development.
- Luella Moore – the former Games Festival Manager at SXSW Sydney, who has worked as a program producer with numerous high-profile organisations.
- Emre Deniz – a multi-award winning games producer and technology developer who has worked with organisations including NASA, Epic Games, Microsoft and Google.
- Margaret Anderson – who previously served as Director of the Australian Classification Board.
- Nico King – co-founder of Chaos Theory Games (Crab God, Rusthaven).
- Josh Hallaran – founder of Critical Games (8-Bit Adventures).
- Ben Armstrong – a veteran of the technology and creative industries with more than 20 years’ experience, and the 2024 AGDAs Rising Star award winner.
- Tegan Jones – an award-winning games and technology journalist and podcaster.
- Stephanie Salter – the executive producer and COO of Hojo Studio.
With experience working across the NSW games industry in various capacities, including releasing their own games, the team aims to contribute their expertise to elevating NSW-made games and developers as a whole.
Also on ScreenHub: Australian video game studios generated $608.5 million in FY25
The Interactive Games & Entertainment Association has released a comprehensive breakdown of the local Australian video game industry‘s success in FY25, confirming relative stability despite years of economic hardship.
In its finding, IGEA outlined that Australian video game studios generated revenue of $608.5 million in this period, with the data derived from the 10th annual Australian Game Developer Survey Snapshot, as well as supplementary material from intelligence firm Sensor Tower. As shared by IGEA, the findings reveal a ‘maturing’ local games industry, with a mix of new and veteran teams creating games.
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