SAFC Raises Digital Games Fund to $1 Million in Second Round

The South Australian Film Corporation announced on October 6, 2026 that its Digital Games Fund will return with $1 million in grant funding for local game developers, double the amount offered in the program’s inaugural round, and that it will launch a new Games Studio Placement Program supporting paid employment in South Australian studios.

The agency described the expanded fund as the state government’s largest-ever single investment in game development funding and the biggest pool of game development funding in South Australia’s history. Applications for the fund open on October 21, 2026. The fund accepts applications once a year through the SAFC’s online grants portal, and guidelines are available from the agency’s games page.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Arts Kyam Maher MLC said: “The Labor Government is proud to back our world-class video games industry through the SAFC’s expanded $1 million Digital Games Fund, giving local developers more opportunities to create ambitious, globally competitive games right here in South Australia.”

Three Funding Streams

The fund offers three streams of grants under guidelines published on the SAFC’s games page. Pre-production grants of up to $30,000 support teams looking to explore, test and prove a new game concept, covering early design, prototyping, technical proof of concept, art direction, narrative design, market research and planning.

Production grants of up to $150,000 are available to teams in full production, or about to enter it, to develop a game toward its next significant milestone, including final release. Applicants must show the project is sufficiently developed, appropriately scoped and has a clear pathway to audience, market, release or further finance, and those seeking larger awards are expected to provide stronger evidence of production readiness, market understanding, team capability and South Australian economic benefit.

Post-release grants of up to $50,000 support work extending the commercial life, audience reach and platform availability of games already released or close to release. Routine maintenance, minor patches and general operating costs are excluded from the stream unless they form part of a substantial, clearly defined post-release strategy.

The fund’s stated objectives align with the SAFC’s Strategic Plan for 2025-2028: helping South Australian game creators reach development milestones, building a sustainable long-term model of support, growing the number of South Australian digital game titles released each year, assisting more teams in qualifying for the SA Video Game Development Rebate, and advancing diverse teams in the global games marketplace.

Alongside the fund, the SAFC launched a Games Studio Placement Program supporting paid employment opportunities for emerging and mid-career developers within South Australian game development studios. Eligible studios will be able to apply for subsidised salary and superannuation support for a six- or 12-month full-time staff placement. The program will open later in 2026.

SAFC Acting CEO Leanne Saunders said: “The SAFC is delighted to double down on our support for South Australia’s video game sector with a second round of our Digital Games Fund offering twice the funding opportunities for local developers and studios to bring their new and innovative games to life.” She said the placement program invests in people as well as businesses.

Pilot Round and Early Outcomes

The inaugural round of the Digital Games Fund launched in October 2025 as a pilot and received more than 50 applications. The SAFC announced the 11 selected studios on May 25, 2026, sharing $500,000 across projects spanning genres from an arcade-style Australian rules football game to farming and cooking simulators and a point-and-click adventure.

Recipients included Powerbomb Games’ Pro Jank Footy, Little Bandit’s The Troll & the Witch’s House from solo developer Ditte Wad-Andersen, Bad Plan Studios’ End of Ember, and Cowboy Fish’s Peppermint from solo developer Samara Kelly, alongside projects from Monomyth Games, Pond Games, Cinnadev, Mauii Makes Games, The RnD Department, Soft Magnets and We Made a Thing Studios. Three of the funded projects were female-led, and eight of the 11 studios had previously been spotlighted at SAGE: SA Game Exhibition, the SAFC event held annually at its Adelaide Studios, including four SAGE Award winners.

In the same May announcement, the SAFC named the members of a new Games Industry Advisory Group: Arthur Ah Chee, Onnie Chan, Kim Forrest, Chad Habel, Ben Kirchner and Cam Rogers, who provide strategic direction and guidance across the agency’s games programs. Maher’s statement at the time cited figures showing Australians spend more than $3.8 billion on video games each year. The May announcement carried a statement from Saunders as SAFC Head of Production; she announced the expanded fund as Acting CEO.

The SAFC said a number of games from the pilot year have gone on to commercial release. It reported that Pro Jank Footy, from Powerbomb Games and Tinkertown, went to No. 1 on Nintendo Switch on its August release and is available globally on PlayStation, Xbox and Steam. Bad Plan Studios’ End of Ember secured a publishing deal with Thailand-based Rising Tide Publishing, according to the agency, while The Troll & the Witch’s House and Peppermint were selected for exhibition at PAX Aus in Melbourne and are available to wishlist on Steam.

Pathway to the Rebate

The SAFC said the expanded fund and the placement program create a pathway for local developers and studios to access the SA Video Game Development Rebate, a 10% rebate claimable on eligible projects with a minimum South Australian spend of $250,000. The rebate is paid by the South Australian Government and administered by the SAFC, which describes it as the first of its kind in Australia when it launched in 2020. The agency said it has to date supported the development of more than 40 South Australian video games, including titles across mobile, PC and console for Nintendo and Microsoft.

Rebate applications can be made throughout the year through the same online grants portal and are processed in two stages: provisional approval, followed by final approval.