In a global market valued at an estimated $300 billion, video game developers are emerging from beyond the traditional powerhouses of the USA, China, and Japan. Regional independent studios are flourishing, with the Pilbara region in northwestern Western Australia becoming a surprising hotspot for innovation.
According to the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association, Australia boasted 137 game development companies in 2024, employing nearly 2,500 people. This burgeoning industry is exemplified by Jai Macphail, the 24-year-old founder of Red Dog Studios, the first game development studio in the Pilbara.
The Rise of Red Dog Studios
While Karratha, a city in the Pilbara, is traditionally recognized for its gas and iron ore exports, Jai Macphail believes it is an ideal location for his studio. “I enjoy living up here, I love the community in Karratha,” Macphail stated. “It’s also fantastic in regards to the natural solar energy we’ve got here … everything requires power and it does give us the foundation to build a fully carbon-neutral studio.”
Red Dog Studios has already made waves with its first production, The Farlands, a medieval fantasy game that invites players to explore, craft, and adventure with friends. The City of Karratha has supported this venture with a $20,000 grant, underscoring the local government’s commitment to diversifying the region’s economy.
Local Government Support
City of Karratha Mayor, Daniel Scott, emphasized the importance of supporting industry diversification. “Usually we’re dealing with, you know, large industries here in the city of Karratha, but what we do know is that gaming development is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the global digital economy,” said Cr Scott. “What we really want is to build a larger, more liveable city, and in order to do that, we need to have a more diverse range of businesses, so this sits perfectly in that diversification of industries.”
Breaking Barriers in Regional Australia
Paris Buttfield-Addison, creative director of Tasmanian studio Secret Lab and president of Tasmanian Game Makers, highlighted the accessibility that has fueled the rise of non-metropolitan game creators. “It’s very, very realistic to make a game in regional Australia right now — it never used to be,” Dr. Buttfield-Addison said. “Game development is fundamentally a digital export. It’s weightless.”
Meanwhile, Darwin-based studio Salty Games is in the late stages of developing Pasture: The Livestock Simulator, a game inspired by the Northern Territory’s cattle industry. Creative director Nathan Groves noted that remoteness is less of an issue today. “Now we have high-speed internet basically everywhere … we have computers now that are affordable to build games with,” he said.
Overcoming Challenges
Groves identified skill transfer as the main challenge for regional developers, a gap that can be bridged through mentoring. “For me, that’s the last puzzle piece to getting regional developers to be able to just work and build games from where they are,” he added.
The Unique Appeal of Regional Games
Associate Dean of Digital Design at RMIT, Li Ping Thong, remarked on the rapid growth of the gaming sector in Australia. “Our local studios [are] very small and independent teams — they are really creating globally competitive and culturally resonant work,” she said.
Dr. Thong also noted that games from regional developers often draw on local knowledge and experience, resulting in unique aesthetics and styles. “[Regional developers] work would sometimes draw on place, climate, community, so it’s more thoughtful and a different kind of aesthetics and style,” she explained. “The different kinds of game design feel more grounded in lived experience.”
The emergence of regional game developers not only diversifies the industry but also enriches the global gaming landscape with fresh perspectives and innovative ideas. As infrastructure and support continue to improve, the future looks promising for these burgeoning studios.
