Deadline Date: March 23, 2026
The Digital Games Seed Development Program is currently accepting applications to support emerging and small-medium enterprise digital game creators.
The program focuses on supporting NSW game creators to advance early concept original digital games intellectual properties to the next stage of development, assisting successful applicants in preparing projects to raise additional finance for full-scale development, and encouraging sustainable growth for the NSW games sector along with building a diverse pipeline of game development talent in New South Wales.
The grant provides funding of up to $30,000 for early-stage game development activities. Applicants are expected to contribute additional funding either through their own resources, which may include in-kind contributions, or through third-party support. At least 90 percent of the funding requested must be directed toward development costs, and all project expenditure must occur within New South Wales and be paid to NSW-based recipients, contractors, or suppliers.
Funding can support activities directly linked to the development of an original digital game. These may include staffing costs and development expenses, reasonable hardware purchases, software licenses, and other capital costs that contribute to the development plan. The grant may also cover licensing costs, legal fees associated with intellectual property protection or publishing agreements, and business development activities such as engaging experienced mentors. Additionally, the funds may be used to scope technical requirements, assess creative and market potential, develop prototypes, create pitch materials, or complete a micro-scale version of a game.
Eligible projects must be completely digital games intended for public release and must be at the concept or early-stage development phase. The program supports games developed for entertainment purposes across various platforms including console, desktop, tablet, mobile, and virtual or augmented reality. Both single-player and multiplayer games are eligible.
Certain projects are not eligible for funding. These include games involving gambling or unlawful gaming activities, games created primarily for advertising, research, corporate marketing, or business-to-business purposes, and projects mainly designed for educational or training use. Games that contain curriculum-based learning materials, games likely to be refused classification under Australian classification legislation, and projects that are not entirely digital such as board games or hybrid digital-physical games are also excluded.
To meet eligibility criteria, applicants must satisfy several conditions. Individual applicants must be residents of New South Wales and must have lived and operated in the state for at least six months immediately before submitting an application. Companies must be incorporated in Australia, registered in NSW, maintain central management and control in Australia, and conduct business within the country. All applicants must have an Australian Business Number (ABN).
Applicants must not be full-time secondary or tertiary students, and they cannot employ students currently studying game development or a related field. Part-time students may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Employees of federal, state, or territory government screen agencies are not eligible to apply, and applicants cannot be licensees under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 or related corporate bodies defined in the Corporations Act 2001.
For more information, visit Screen NSW.
