Press Kit

SIFTER is an award winning video games publication that explores the politics, economics and societal impacts of the games industry in Australia and the world. Originally founded as a single interview podcast, SIFTER has expanded to include online features, news coverage, live streaming. Founded by journalists with a goal to find stories not covered by other outlets and learn about what it really takes to make games and about the people who make them.

Founded in 2015 as Pixel Sift by Gianni Di Giovanni, Scott Quigg and Mitchel Loh as a podcast that would embrace the best parts of on-demand podcasting with the high quality and discipline of professional radio production.

SIFTER's first publication was an interview and news analysis podcast which featured conversations with video game developers from Australia and around the world and quickly grew to become one of Australia's premiere independent video game publications winning the 2019 Australian Podcast Award in the Gaming Category.

In late 2019 SIFTER developed and released a second podcast, a video game review show that acts as a complimentary vertical to the indie and game production focus of the Lightmap. Our review podcast was relaunched in 2023 as Drop Rate, with new host Chris Button

In September 2021 as the team celebrated it's sixth anniversary, a new brand was developed called Sifter with a unique visual identity, and the original game developer interview podcast was renamed Lightmap.

In February 2022 a third podcast Walkthrough was launched helmed by Kyle Pauletto and Fiona Bartholomaeus which breaks down the news and recaps the biggest developments each week and shares upcoming games players can enjoy.