11 projects supported through Screenwest’s Digital Games Production Fund
From a puzzle platformer game set in an underwater power plant to a cosy space exploration simulator, the projects supported span a range of genres including RPG, adventure, strategy and horror.
Screenwest is pleased to announce that 11 Western Australian digital game projects have received funding through our Digital Games Production Fund.
Launched in December 2022, the Digital Games Production Fund provides grants to Western Australian companies and key creatives to develop and release high-quality, diverse and engaging digital games. The program is multi-staged, with games studios and developers able to receive funding for the pre-production, production and post-production phases of game development.
The fund is designed to help WA studios and developers bring their ideas and prototypes to a level that will gain interest from other investors and partners, have successful releases and achieve high player retention post launch. This is the second round of recipients announced, with 13 digital games supported earlier in 2023.
From a puzzle platformer game set in an underwater power plant to a cosy space exploration simulator, the projects supported span a range of genres including role-playing (RPG), adventure, strategy and horror.
“We were once again impressed by the strength of the applications received in the latest round of games production funding. It’s great to see the diversity of games and game developers emerging from WA and showing the quality of talent we have here. Congratulations to the latest recipients and we look forward to seeing these games develop and their wonderful teams grow!” said Mark Smith, Screenwest Digital Games Manager.
Digital Games Production Funding recipients
Pre-Production
Zodiac Mountain
- Genre: Strategy, Casual, Roguelike Deck-building
- Studio: Mystic Road
- Platform: PC
- Key Creatives:
- Director/Producer: Kevin Jiang
- Game Design/Animation: James Knight
- Lead Art: Kathryn Mann
- Background Artist: Annie Huang
- Misc/Prop Artist: Izzy Huizen
- Developer: Rob Gross
- Synopsis: Zodiac Mountain blends Roguelike and deck-building genres, inviting players to journey alongside a determined panda aspiring to join the Chinese Zodiacs. Drawing inspiration from games like Slay the Spire and Monster Train, the game seamlessly merges strategic gameplay with ancient Chinese mythos.
Span
- Genre: Action, Adventure, RPG, Sandbox, Survival
- Platform: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox One
- Key Creatives:
- Designer: Andrew Carija
- Developer: Daniel Harris
- Artist: Samantha Ee
- Synopsis: Span is a fast-paced open-world survival crafting game where you play as one of the last members of humanity in a world devastated by a robotic menace. Use the tether, a grappling hook-like device to explore a vast, procedural world. Discover ancient magic and technology, battle challenging foes and colossal bosses, and harvest resources to rebuild your civilisation.
Me, You and Kaiju
- Genre: Casual Local Multiplayer
- Studio: Sentient Computing
- Platform: PC, VR
- Key Creatives:
- Designers/3D Artists: Steve Langton, Clinton Ellard
- Programmers: Alric Cerlitza, Chris Hellsten, Gian Collica
- Synopsis: Me, You and Kaiju is an asymmetric, multi-player, action game where (gamepad controlled) soldiers battle against a (VR controlled) Kaiju. Soldiers operate various helicopters, tanks and boats to attack the Kaiju directly, or man a gunner spot on a teammate’s vehicle to provide support. The Kaiju can fight back by; smashing, grabbing and throwing objects, or unleashing special abilities such as the devastating fire breath.
Wolf Creek VR
- Genre: Adventure, Horror, RPG, Strategy
- Studio: Frame Mixed Reality Labs
- Platform: Meta Quest 2&3
- Key Creatives:
- Executive Producer: Justin McArdle
- Technical Director: Gareth Lockett
- Creative Director: Justin Randall
- Game Designer: Karl Pytte
- Lead Developer: Thanh Hon
- Synopsis: Wolf Creek VR is a systemic RPG, VR Game adapted from the hit Australian horror film, which sees four innocent travelers kidnapped and trapped in Mick Taylor’s Wolf Creek compound. Gameplay revolves around devising escape strategies while switching between and controlling each character individually.
Caretaker
- Genre: Adventure, RPG, Simulation, Strategy
- Studio: Intr Studio
- Platform: PC, Mobile, Nintendo Switch
- Key Creatives:
- Developer/Producer: Caitlin Lomax
- Lead Artist/Game Designer: Tanya Beeson
- Synopsis: A cosy space exploration simulator using real-world physics and projected theoretical technologies.
Production
The Last Werewolf
- Genre: Adventure
- Studio: Unnatural Freaks Studio
- Platform: PC
- Key Creatives:
- Lead Developer/Producer: Rebecca Kerr
- Synopsis: The Last Werewolf is a supernatural mystery-adventure game, where you play as Lachie – a twenty-something lone werewolf – who’s in search of more like her. Meet new people, explore the supernatural and learn more about Lachie’s origins.
Power Sink
- Genre: Platformer, Puzzle
- Studio: Winterwire Games
- Platform: PC, Nintendo Switch
- Key Creatives:
- Lead Programmer: Rhys Mader
- Lead Designer: Luke Greenwood
- Composer: Oliver Proslemyr
- Synopsis: In the depths of a decaying underwater power plant, you, The Diver, must find your way down in order to restore power to your home above and uncover the cause of the catastrophic power outage threatening to doom your people.
TETHER BRAWL
- Genre: Action, Casual, Arcade, Co-Op, Competitive
- Studio: Level 126
- Platform: PC
- Key Creatives:
- Director/Programmer: Jet Castillo Trijo
- 3D Artist/Sound Designer: Lachlan Robertson
- 3D/2D Artist: Angelo Gregorio
- Generalists: Joshua Michell, Amber Howe
- Synopsis: An action-packed, top-down, two-player game set in a sci-fi world with a hint of cuteness, animal players are connected by a tether and must fight in an arena against waves of killer robots. Will you work with your partner to survive or betray and outplay them for a higher score?
Snow Cone
- Genre: Puzzle
- Studio: Hungry Sky
- Platform: PC, Nintendo Switch
- Key Creatives:
- Director: Jack Casey
- Level Designer: Nick Lowe
- Art Director: Lauren Fletcher
- Audio Director: Ben Hammersley
- Production Director: Minh Tran
- Synopsis: Snow Cone is a cute but tough puzzle game where you play as a penguin going undercover as a snow cone vendor to bring down the mob. Produce tasty icy treats for your customers by rolling up snow as you progress through dozens of hand-crafted levels.
Boxman
- Genre: Platformer, Puzzle
- Platform: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox One & Series X/S
- Key Creatives:
- CEO/Technical Artist/Lead Programmer: Steven White-Smith
- Synopsis: A small cardboard box character named Box – lost, confused and in search of home will quickly come to learn about a powerful malevolent force known as the “Mundane” that has overthrown this once cheerfully crafted world, turning everything upside-down with an unholy number of robots and one comically undersized evil leader with an affinity for all things grayscale. Luckily Box came with a hero inside!.. and a lot of packing peanuts.
Post-Production
Forest Farm
- Genre: RPG, Simulation, Casual
- Studio: Tonic Games Australia
- Platform: PlayStation Virtual Reality 2 (PSVR2)
- Key Creatives:
- Developer: Nicholas Schubert
- Synopsis: Forest Farm is a cosy open world fantasy farming sandbox with RPG elements. The forests are overgrown, the gardens have been abandoned, can you bring life back to the farm? Grab your tools, grow some produce and create your dream farm to aid the local citadel which is growing hungry!
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