So the Australian Federal Budget 2014-15 has been unveiled this evening, and with it many cuts, changes and the cessation of several programs. According to THIS fantastic page made by the ABC, there are many more demographics that could be considered “Losers” after the announcement of the budget over “Winners”.
But there has been one aspect of the budget that according to Twitter has left some smaller, independent video game developers fuming – the axing of the Australian Interactive Games Fund from July 1st, 2014. This cancellation will achieve savings of just 10 million dollars over the 2014-15 period. All these savings will not go to directly supporting other elements of the growing industry but going towards repairing the budget and fund unspecified policy priorities.
While in my opinion it is a minor cut in comparison to many of the more serious cuts, it was still nevertheless an important funding program for the national video game industry. Developers may now be forced to drop the next big hit if they can’t find funding from other sources.
For more information on the program and its benefits that I wrote up last year, including the thoughts of Professor Jeff Brand from Bond University, check out my earlier article: “Australian Indie Development Scene and Screen Australia’s Interactive Games Fund – Beneficial, Limited or a Waste of Money?“
