South Australia has doubled its Digital Games Fund to $1 million, creating the largest pool of game development funding in the state's history, the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) has announced.

The SAFC ran the fund's first round in October 2025, distributing $500,000 across 11 local studios developing original games. Several of those projects have since shipped commercially, and two have already produced measurable market results.

What does the new round offer developers?

Round two, opening October 21st, splits funding into three streams:

• Up to $30,000 for pre-production
• Up to $150,000 for production
• Up to $50,000 for post-release work such as localisation and porting

The tiered structure means studios can secure support across a project's full lifecycle rather than only at the production stage. Post-release money for porting and localisation targets a phase where small studios often lack cash flow to expand onto additional platforms or languages.

What is the placement programme?

Alongside the fund, the SAFC is launching a Games Studio Placement Programme to support paid employment for emerging and mid-career developers at local studios. Eligible studios can receive subsidised salary and superannuation support for six- or 12-month placements. Applications for that programme open later in 2026.

For Adelaide studios, the subsidy lowers the effective cost of hiring mid-career talent — a segment frequently squeezed out of hiring plans when budgets tighten.

How does it stack with the existing rebate?

The expanded fund sits on top of the SAFC's Video Game Development Rebate, in place since 2020, which returns 10% of eligible spend on projects with at least $250,000 in South Australian expenditure. The SAFC said the rebate has supported more than 40 South Australian games to date.

That means a qualifying studio can combine a grant from the Digital Games Fund with the location-based rebate, stacking direct funding against a spend-linked incentive.

What has the first round delivered?

Early results from round one give the state concrete evidence points. Pro Jank Footy reached No.1 on Nintendo Switch following its August release, while End of Ember secured a publishing deal with Rising Tide Publishing.

A No.1 chart placement and a third-party publishing agreement within roughly a year of funding signal that the programme is targeting commercially viable projects rather than purely cultural or experimental work.

What happens next?

Applications for the second Digital Games Fund round open on October 21st, giving studios a defined window to prepare project materials across the three funding tiers. The Games Studio Placement Programme follows later in 2026.

Watch whether round two's demand exceeds the $500,000 first-round allocation — that would signal whether South Australia's development base has grown enough to absorb, and justify, the doubled pool.