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Hundreds turn out to the SAFC’s inaugural SAGE: SA Game Exhibition
13 February 2023
More than 800 game developers, gaming enthusiasts and members of the general public turned out to the SAFC’s Adelaide Studios screen production facilities last Friday 10 February for the inaugural SAGE: South Australian Game Exhibition, highlighting and celebrating the depth and breadth of talent in the state’s thriving video game development industry.
Featuring 19 local studios and indie developers exhibiting their works, SAGE offered South Australian developers the opportunity to showcase their games in front of industry, Government and the general public, and allowed aspiring developers, students, fans, players and enthusiasts to meet the people behind the games and play them.
The South Australian games studios exhibiting at SAGE were A Few Dragons; Blue Moon Games; Dino Rocket Games; Golden Age Studios; Half Giant; Juicy Cupcake; Melonhead Games; Mighty Kingdom; Mini Mammoth Games; Lamplight Forest & Orchid of Redemption; Ortum Games; Paper Cactus Games; Planet Pumpkin; Pond Games; Split Symmetry; Stellar Advent; Voxon Photonics; We Have Always Lived in the Forest and We Made a Thing Studios.
“SAGE was like someone had carved a large chunk of the Indie stand right off the PAX Aus show floor, and it had the exact same buzz about it. South Australia is ready to be our next major games development hub!”
— Kotaku
Formally opened by Arts Minister Andrea Michaels MP, SAGE also saw the official launch of the SAFC’s new SA Video Game Creatives digital brochure – a handy downloadable guide to the state’s game development sector, featuring illustrated listings of more than 35 local studios and information about their work.
SAGE also saw Minister Michaels launch the SAFC’s new SA Games trailer. Made by local studio Half Giant, the special video trailer highlights and celebrates just a fraction of the incredible games being made right here in South Australia, featuring titles by Lamplight Forest, Makers Empire, Stellar Advent, Split Symmetry, Team Cherry, Stuart’s Pixel Games, Ortum Games, Exbleative, We Have Always Lived in the Forest, Odd Games, Blue Moon Games, Monkeystack, Foxie Games, Golden Age Studios, Top Chop Games, We Made a Thing, Juicy Cupcake, A Few Dragons, Pond Games, Mini Mammoth Games, Melonhead Games, Paper Cactus Games, Planet Pumpkin Games, DalaKoala Games, Mighty Kingdom, Monomyth Games and Joy Everafter Stories.
The SAFC was also delighted to welcome an array of distinguished guests to SAGE, including Minister for Arts Andrea Michaels MP; Minister for Trade and Investment Nick Champion MP; Attorney General Kyam Maher MLC; Catherine Hutchesson MP, Member for Waite; Sarah Andrews MP, Member for Gibson; Jack Batty MP, Member for Bragg; Reggie Martin MLC; Robert Simms MLC; Chief Executive of the Department for Trade and Investment David Reynolds; Acting Executive Director of the Department for Industry, Innovation and Science Callan Markwick; SAFC Interim Board Chair Miriam Silva AM, and Board members Angela Heesom, Lauren Hillman and Shouwn Oosting as well as SAFC industry partners Screen Australia Head of Online Lee Naimo, and Games Investment Manager Amelia Laughlin, Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA) CEO Ron Curry and Director of Industry and Member Relations Jens Schroeder, Adelaide Film Festival Creative Director and CEO Mat Kesting, Acting CEO of Mercury CX Lisa Bishop, and the team from Channel 44.
The SA game development industry is home to an abundance of games industry professionals, from large indie studios to solo developers working across desktop, console and mobile, to creatives working in XR, animation and robotics.
The SAFC supports video game development and production and games businesses as part of its commitment to supporting and developing all parts of the South Australian screen industry. Find out more at safilm.com.au/games – and download the SAFC’s NEW game creatives brochure to find out more about SA’s game talent.
Check out the photos from the event below, or see the full gallery over on our Facebook page here.
Photos by Naomi Jellicoe.