26 Games Are Sharing The Spoils Of Funding From Screen Australia

Screen Australia has announced that 26 Aussie-made games will receive funding to help continue their development, with a collective $1.4 million being shared between the projects.

Funding will also be provided to the Freeplay team to support its 2025 events, which include the upcoming Freeplay Angles event, taking place from July 31 to August 2 at the Science Gallery Melbourne. It continues Screen Australia’s impressive reputation of being an industry leader when it comes to game funding programs.

Screen Australia Head of Games Joey Egger said, “What struck me about these projects is the depth of talent and the distinctiveness of the content; the diversity of our culture, communities, landscapes and stories really shines through. We’re seeing games being developed all across the country including regional towns such as Wallabadah in New South Wales and Toongabbie in Victoria.”

For more information on the 26 games, you can read the snippets below.

PENGUIN COLONY 
Origame Digital 
Genre Action, Adventure, Exploration, Horror, Wholesome
Creative Director Naphtali Faulkner
Producer Megan Faulkner
Audio Engineer David Mason
Platform PC, Xbox Series X/Xbox Series S, PS5, Nintendo Switch
Synopsis Penguin Colony is a reimagining of H.P Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness; through the perspective of a Penguin. Players explore the depths of Antarctica at their own pace as different penguins unravelling different secrets along the way.

ROCKETCARD DEFENCE
SD Games Pty Ltd 
Genre Deckbuilder, Roguelike, Story-driven, Strategy, Tower Defence
CEO/MD/Founder Trevor Clift
Creative Director Jack Erskine
Audio Engineer Nic Dullow
Platform PC
Synopsis Rocketcard Defence – Where Profit Drives Progress, and Survival Comes at a Cost.

DUNGEON BREAKERS (Working Title) 
Droptable Games 
Genre Adventure, Role-playing, Strategy, Other: Tactics
Designer Bryn Welch
Programmer Kristian Lindsell
Producer Noni Och
2D Artist Sophie Ware-Maloney
Platform PC, Nintendo Switch
Synopsis Dungeon Breakers is a papercraft RPG about being too strong for your own weapons! Break your weapons with your attacks and find new ones on the battlefield in this hopeful fantasy adventure.

SLUMBERING WOODS 
Chunky Quail 
Genre Adventure, Crafting, Creature Collector, Exploration, Puzzle, Story-driven, Wholesome
Creative Director Svitlana Amelina
Lead Developer Oleg Chernyshenko
Sound Designer Jane Wei
Platform PC, Mac
Synopsis Slumbering Woods is a cosy, hand-drawn adventure game with a unique crafting and building twist. In a world recovering from a long-past climate catastrophe, you play as a stranded herbalist, helping a flooded village rebuild and reconnect to find your way home.

ASHES 
Plot Twist Pty Ltd
Genre Adventure, Story-driven, Visual Novel
Producer/Developer Clea Frost
Lead Developer Nick Loki
2D Artists Phoenix Waddell, Jennifer Reuter
Composer Trent Francis
Platform Mac, Android, PC
Synopsis After witnessing a murder, 16-year-old skater Azar Warren hides with her estranged grandfather on his rural compound, only to discover he may be more dangerous than her pursuers. Ashes blends graphic novel panels with deduction puzzles to unravel a story of murder and unease.

RETOPIA 
Chaos Theory Games 
Genre Adventure, Building, Management, Strategy, Wholesome
Lead Producer James Lockrey
Lead Design Nicholas King
Lead Creative Jennyfer Ong
Lead Developer Pete Petroulas-Turnbull
UI Artist Casey Lenius
3D Artist Morgan Tokutake
Marketing Manager Megha Vasudevan
Developer Sebastian King
Designer Kai Ashford-Hatherly
Platform PC
Synopsis From creative lead Jennyfer Ong, lead designer Nicholas King and lead producer James Lockrey, this cosy management game is the latest project from the Australian Game Developer Awards’ 2024 Studio of the Year, Chaos Theory Games. Retopia follows a cast of quirky robot companions as they restore life to a collapsed world by salvaging lost technology, rebuilding community, and nurturing a floating sanctuary in the sky. The game continues Chaos Theory’s tradition of values-driven development after the success of the award-winning Crab God.

L8R SK8R 
Genre Action, Platformer
Creative Director Alexander Driml
Audio Engineers Anders Groenningsaeter, Zander Hulme
Composer Sam Luff
Platform PC, Mac
Synopsis L8R SK8R is a fast-paced 3D platformer inspired by the classics of the 90’s and drenched in a retro aesthetic. Its core gameplay is centred around making you play it like a speedrunner. Every second you shave off your time in a level is collected and can then be used to unlock new levels in the hub world.

MISSION DELTA 
Polarity Games 
Genre Action, Cooperative, Multiplayer – Local, Multiplayer Online, Roguelike
CEO/MD/Founder Aiden Mellor
Producer Nic Dullow
Art Director Leonardo León
Platform PC, Mac, Linux, PS5, Nintendo Switch
Synopsis Challenge the tower solo or co-op in this high-octane sky crawler action rogue-lite. Stack power ups and steal destructive weapons as you dodge, dash and mutilate your way to the top. Your retribution awaits.

BRAVEST COCONUT 
Little Nebula Pty Ltd 
Genre Puzzle, Role-playing, Story-driven, Cozy, Action, Adventure, Exploration
Developer/Artist/Musician/Writer Nathan Hoad
Platform PC, Mac, Linux
Synopsis Coco is a little cat on a big adventure. Help her to uncover the mystery of the missing members of the Adventurers Guild in the charming Tambryn Valley. Along the way, you’ll explore a cozy, vibrant world full of secrets, meet delightful characters, and solve thoughtful, story-driven puzzles. With a sprinkle of humor and a touch of self-awareness, Bravest Coconut invites you, the player, to also be a part of her story. It’s a warm and whimsical tale of courage, connection, and finding your place in the world.

MONSTER SNAP
Moo Duck Games
Genre Adventure, Creature Collector, Wholesome, Other: Photography
Lead Programmer Laurence Valentini
Lead Artist Clinton Ellard
Platform VR
Synopsis Capture photos of legendary creatures like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster in VR! Explore magical environments, unlock gadgets to trigger unique creature behaviours, and fill your compendium with rare shots while uncovering the secrets of the Bermuda Triangle!

WYRMSPACE TACTICS
Wali Studios 
Genre Card Game, Story-driven, Strategy
Art Director Sasha Mutch
Producer Joel Davison
Writer Kathryn Gledhill-Tucker
Composer Jess Cerro
UX Designer Olivia Ong
Lead Programmer Adam Matthews
Platform PC
Synopsis Wyrmspace Tactics is a game about traumatised space pirates committing faster-than-light heists! Heists play out in tile tactics card gameplay where every card is a crew member’s memory.

SCAV 
Manic Games 
Genre Adventure, Experimental, Exploration, Platformer, Puzzle, Racing, Roguelike, Survival
Creative Director James Berkelmans
Technical Artist Alexander O’Dea
Sound Designer Jack Eagle
Platform PC
Synopsis You are a SCAV, a lone ute dropped into a desert abyss where the ruins of bygone worlds lie in decay. Scavenge through crumbling ancient ruins and scattered mechanical wreckages to gather loot, haul it back to the drop pod, and extract before a deadly sandstorm engulfs everything in its path.

PIXELLATED 
Najma Studio PTY LTD
Genre Adventure, Comedy, Story-driven
Creative Director Zahraa Al Zubaydi
Platform PC
Synopsis Is she a hero or just a people pleaser? Pixelle never says no, tackling everything from rescuing lost souls in the underworld to solving circuit-inspired puzzles to fix broken robots. Everyone wants a piece of Pixelle.

BURU AND THE OLD PEOPLE 
Benjamin Armstrong 
Genre Adventure, Story-driven
Creative Director Benjamin Armstrong
Marketing Manager Amy Potter
Producer Brooke Collard
2D Artist Letoya Muraru
Environment Artist Emma Sjaan Beukers
Developer Natthan Sharpe
Concept Artist Tessa Rose Morecroft
Composer Alexander Tulett
Platform PC
Synopsis Buru & The Old People is a narrative-driven adventure game set in a vibrant anthropomorphic world, rich in Indigenous storytelling.

DEAD ZONE MYCOLOGIST 
Cain Maddox 
Genre Experimental, Horror, Simulation
Lead Developer Cain Maddox
Composer Skyla Storm
Platform PC, Mac, Linux
Synopsis When a mysterious fungus takes over Sydney, a mycologist must investigate and use their own body as a testing apparatus.

DICOT
Siobhan Dent 
Genre Experimental, Exploration, Platformer, Role-playing, Simulation, Story-driven, Survival
Lead Developer Siobhan Dent
Developer Twig Takac
Sound Designer Fentine Gard
Musician Kendall Hennessy
Platform PC
Synopsis A 2D sci-fi immersive sim about cave diving and devotion in the stars.

DISPLACED: OATH OF TOMES
Liberation Ludology
Genre Role-playing, Story-driven
Writer Barathan Vidhyapathy
Platform PC
Synopsis A traumatised and apathetic librarian attempts to continue her culture’s legacy of reciprocity.

SPIN SPIRITS 
Jack Talbot 
Genre Adventure, Casual, Crafting, Exploration, Role-playing, Story-driven, Other: Fighting
Developer Jack Talbot
Platform PC
Synopsis Craft your Spin Spirit, and launch it into Platform Fighter-style Battles! Explore a charming world, as you travel across its many settlements, and strive to become Champion!

TRINKET 
Alisha Doherty Hough 
Genre Adventure, Exploration, Horror, Puzzle, Story-driven
Creative Director Alisha Doherty Hough
Producer Nigel Haslam
Composer Crystal Wilkes
Sound Designer Marcos Micozzi
Designer Gaia Heart
Platform PC, Mac, Linux
Synopsis A tiny traveller explores post-apocalyptic Australia on the back of an ancient creature, and encounters the nightmares that have formed in our absence.

FERN: SEED GUARDIAN 
Sophie Veronica Till 
Genre Action, Adventure, Role-playing
Creative Director Sophie Till
Technical Director Jamie Dougall
Platform PC
Synopsis An action-adventure RPG from creative director Sophie Till and technical director Jamie Dougall. In a fantastical West Australian bushland, a brave native mouse battles an encroaching, mysterious goo. She must overcome not only this encroaching danger but also her deep fears, as the Goo uses them to manipulate her perception of reality.

ASH AND EARTH: WILDERNESS RECLAIMED 
Robert Arthur Hartigan 
Genre Adventure, Creature Collector, Story-driven, Visual Novel
Creative Director Robbie Hartigan
2D Artists Kerri-Ann Taggart, Tania Hartigan
Platform PC, Mac
Synopsis Ash and Earth is an interactive fiction set in a post-apocalyptic Australia. Rescue and care for wildlife while building a settlement in a recovering environment. These intertwined gameplay elements drive players through an original story about destruction and renewal.

UNTITLED CUBE GAME (WORKING TITLE) 
Benjamin Thompson Studios 
Genre Puzzle
Designer/Programmer Benjamin G. Thompson
Platform PC
Synopsis Roll cubes towards goals while obeying intuitive yet deep rules.

STEWARDS OF NU JUNO 
Lachlan Harris Toft 
Genre Adventure, Cooperative, Management, Role-playing, Survival
Lead Developer Lachlan Harris Toft
Sound Designer Mitchell Toft
Platform PC, Mac
Synopsis Survive raging storms, meet the creatures that call them home and learn to thrive with up to 3 friends across the vast sci-fi landscapes of Nu Juno.

NOTHING TO DO SUMMER VACATION: PART 1 
Mel Stringer 
Genre Adventure, Casual, Point and Click, Story-driven, Wholesome, Visual Novel
Lead Programmer Adam Prenger
Creative Director Mel Stringer
Platform iPadOS, PC
Synopsis Summer is stuck in a small town and bored out of her mind. What mysteries in Driftwood will Summer uncover to save her brain and her vacation.

ECLIPSIA 
Antoine Bowker 
Genre Adventure, Exploration, Puzzle, Story-driven, Other: Mystery, Detective
Solo Developer Antoine Bowker
Platform PC
Synopsis A beautiful Mediterranean island town is dying and decaying, plagued by paranormal anomalies—unravel its mysteries as a paranormal investigator searching for the truth.

KAIJU CRITTERS 
Jordan Tabor Sparks 
Genre Creature Collector, Story-driven, Strategy, Other: Tactical Turn-based
Programmer Jordan Sparks
Designer Darcy Morris
2D Artists Abs Hall, Maggie Buckley
Platform PC
Synopsis The giant bugs flip the script and save the day in this turn-based tactics game where you fight to save Brisbane. Battle against the evil giant-robot invasion through skill-based minigames, providing tricky yet satisfying gameplay for all skill levels and abilities.

If you made it through to the end, did any games catch your eye? Let us know in the comments or on social media.