The Australian Government is backing in the digital games sector by introducing legislation to establish a Digital Games Tax Offset in the coming months. A 30 per cent refundable tax offset will be available to eligible games developers that spend a minimum of $500,000 on qualifying Australian development expenditure. Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said the Offset will promote the growth of Australia’s digital games development industry and increase our market share in the rapidly expanding global sector. “From The Hobbit back in the 1980s right up to Unpacking – Australian developers have a proud history, and we want to nurture that well into the future,” Minister Burke In Australia, game development studios generated $226.5 million of income and employed 1,327 fulltime workers in 2020-21. The legislation will form part of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997, which already provides incentives to the screen sector. Join Australia’s top game development location Take advantage of this generous scheme by setting up your development studio in Melbourne. With a high concentration of creative and technical talent, Melbourne's local gaming ecosystem is a hotbed of opportunity. It is Australia’s top game development location and the perfect city to create games with global commercial appeal. Melbourne is home to 170 of Australia’s 200 digital games studios, where 87 per cent of revenue is generated from soaring overseas sales. Growth is being accelerated by international studios that are acquiring and expanding Melbourne’s world-class resources. Join renowned names such as EA, Sledgehammer, Nickelodeon, Pixar, Disney, Warner Bros and ID@Xbox(Microsoft), Team 17 and Private Division who have partnered with local studios to develop and launch successful global games ventures. Renowned international gaming events Melbourne International Games Week - this globally recognised event attracts more than 80,000 gamers and developers each year Game Connect Asia Pacific - leading game development conference PAX Australia – Australia’s largest dedicated gaming festival which attracts tens of thousands of gaming fans eSports events have positioned Melbourne as the eSports hub of Australia, where the Melbourne eSports Open is held Read more about Melbourne’s thriving digital games sector. To explore available investment opportunities, contact the Invest Victoria team.
Leading digital asset management (DAM) software company Bynder will open its first APAC office in Melbourne, enabling APAC organisations to deliver exceptional content experiences. Headquartered in Amsterdam, Bynder’s cloud-based platform enables teams to manage the proliferating of content in order to thrive. With powerful and intuitive solutions that embrace the way businesses want to work, the company’s service modules include digital asset management, content workflow, print and digital brand templates, brand guidelines, studio and analytics. Bynder chose to set up their office in Melbourne’s thriving technology and business ecosystem, where they will be able to better serve established APAC clients while continuing to expand alongside a growing demand for digital asset management solutions. The move will create new job opportunities for Victorians, particularly in sales, customer success, customer support, and marketing, with Bynder expecting to hire 30 full-time permanent staff by the end of 2024. Eveline ter Elst, Director of APAC Sales, will relocate from the company’s Amsterdam office to lead the new Melbourne office. “We’re excited to join the thriving tech community in Melbourne. We already see incredible demand in the market, and I look forward to building on that momentum through the expansion of our customer base and our regional team.” Eveline ter Elst, Director of APAC Sales Invest Victoria helped Bynder on their journey to set up an APAC office by providing valuable advice on prospective clients as well as insights into Melbourne’s business environment and site selection assistance. Read more about opportunities in Victoria’s thriving tech sector and connect with Invest Victoria. Originally published by Invest Victoria on 7 December, 2022