Western Australian game developers will have access to the first government fundi in more than a decade with the announcement of The Interactive Pilot Fund.
The Western Australian government has announced today that a $100,000 fund will be established to support game development in the state.
The Interactive Pilot Fund will be administered by the film funding agency Screenwest and will help WA based companies release games and encourage industry development.
Minister for Culture and Arts David Templeman said in a statement this morning that it was part of a broader support for virtual reality, augmented reality and other emerging technologies
"The digital interactive, virtual reality, augmented reality and video games industries are experiencing a period of worldwide growth and improvement in accessibility," said Minister Templeman.
"As these types of interactive technologies are relatively up-and-coming here in Western Australia, it's clear our local creatives are well and truly punching above their weight."
This is the first time in twelve years that the Western Australian government has directly supported video game development.
In 2007 the Carpenter Labor Government offered $500,000 to game development company Interzone, which collapsed owing staff and the Australian Tax Office hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Many game development companies recently celebrated the potential return of the Australian Interactive Games fund, a hope that was dashed when the Labor party failed to win government at the federal election earlier this month.
Companies will be able to apply for up to $20,000, applications will close on Monday July 1st and guidelines for The Interactive Pilot Fund can be found on the Screenwest website. Interactive Pilot Fund Guidelines.
