NSW Government funds 7 new media projects

The New South Wales Government has announced seven new projects to be funded under the $3 million Interactive Media Fund.

The fund will support projects such as the next phase of Fruit Ninja, a game app, as well as education and training apps.

“The worldwide gaming phenomenon Fruit Ninja will now grow even bigger with a new project to be led by a recently formed Sydney team of the top Australian games developer Halfbrick Studios,” said NSW Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner.

The Interactive Media Fund will provide $3 million over two years to support creative digital content, including electronic games and transmedia projects.

“This fund will help NSW build its share of the high-value digital games sector which will be increasingly important in developing serious business and education tools,” Stoner said. “The global digital games market is expected to more than double to $53 billion by 2016 and mobile gaming to triple to $17.5 billion.”

Other projects funded include:

• Dog Money World: An advanced mobile games platform encompassing augmented reality, social components and real-time location gaming, including connections to any film or television show.
• Flashcards for iPad: An expansion to the Flashcards educational software title designed for children 2-10 years old to help them learn the alphabet, new words and new languages.
• CADMAP (working title): A serious game developed by the Ambulance Research Institute to assist paramedics in their clinical decision making skills by simulating emergency situations from the safety of their mobile phones.
• Nnooo Pty Ltd: An expansion to the indie game developer’s staff to help develop Nnooo’s new game escapeVektor for the Nintendo 3DS and PC/Mac or Playstation Vita.
• Tag Town: A location-based game that is played cross-platform using mobile apps and desktop web browsers. At its core is a social mobile experience where players identify locations from photographic clues as they move around in the real world.
• Habitat: An online and mobile game for 8-12 year olds, supported by an animation series, which encourages players to reduce their environmental footprint.