(Media Release)
OVER $136 MILLION IN INCOME FOR AUSTRALIA'S DIGITAL GAME DEVELOPERS: ABS (FED)
MELBOURNE - hursday 10 April, 2008 - The GDAA welcomes the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data on the Games Industry in Australia - see: http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mf/8515.0?OpenDocument
"The Australian game development industry is growing at a rapid rate," said Tom Crago, President of the GDAA. "We're seeing year-on-year increases of around 15%, which emphasises both the strength and potential of the industry here in Australia. In an environment where many other industries are contracting, Australian game development is going from strength to strength."
Games developed for console formats (e.g. PS2, PS3, Xbox, Wii) accounted for nearly three-quarters (71.1% or $83.2 million) of game development services income. Games developed for PC and Mac formats accounted for 14.6% ($17.1 million). Two states - Queensland and Victoria - accounted for the majority of game development income (40.4% and 33.2% respectively) and employment (48.6% and 33%).
CEO of the Game Developers' Association of Australia (GDAA) Greg Bondar said whilst the data highlights the fact that the game industry is a hugely successful export earner, it should be noted that the data understates the value and size of the industry somewhat, in that it does not include companies that are ancillary to the industry such as art production houses, and audio providers.