Multimedia Victoria - Victorian Games Companies Play to Win in San Fransisco

Victorian Games Companies Play to Win in San Fransisco Media release - April 2008 Information and Communication Technology Minister Theo Theophanous has congratulated Victorian games companies on their overwhelming success at the Game Developers' Conference (GDC) in San Francisco in March. Mr Theophanous said there was world-class talent in Victoria with local games companies creating high quality games for a global audience. "Victorian games companies have already generated $22 million in exports from this year's GDC, with predicted exports to be $30.5 million over the next 12 months and $88.6 million over the next 24 months – showing how important the games industry is to the state," Mr Theophanous said. "The GDC is considered the major US event for games companies to explore creative ideas and meet international publishers and distributors, and perhaps seal that major contract that will take them to the top. "With Victoria making up more than half of Australia's games industry, the Brumby Government is proud to promote the continued growth of this rapidly expanding sector." Mr Theophanous said that prospects continue to look good for Victorian ICT companies seeking new international business opportunities in the global marketplace. "The result from this trade mission alone demonstrates how essential it is for industry to not only build networks abroad but also to maintain and develop these networks to grow our local industry on the global stage," he said. An example of a Victorian company that has built a strong presence at the GDC is Port Melbourne based business Infinite Interactive. Infinite Interactive CEO Steve Fawkner said he was optimistic the company would continue to reap the rewards from their efforts at the conference. "The GDC is the best place for business - we were able to line up a number of deals with different US publishers. The conference was even bigger than last year, providing the perfect opportunity for us to present our products to the US publishers we wanted to meet," Mr Fawkner said. Mr Theophanous said the success of the Victorian games companies was recognition of a strong Victoria's ICT industry in the global marketplace, with tens of millions of dollars being invested into the local industry. The Brumby Government provided financial support for local companies to attend the games conference this year through its ICT Trade Events and Export Assistance program. The GDC provides education, networking and business opportunities for game developers and attracted more than 16,000 attendees from around the globe. Victorian companies who attended GDC include: Acheron Design, Act3Animation, Big Ant Studios, Big Pipe Media, Brag Rat Entertainment, Endgame Studios, Everyday Interactive Networks, Firemint, Infinite Interactive, IronMonkey Studios, Mini Studios, Studio Moshi, Torus, Tantalus, Transmission Games and VastPark.