PlaySide video games company moving to Gold Coast, between 50-70 jobs to be created

The country’s “largest publicly listed games company” which has worked on big name franchises like The Walking Dead is moving to the Coast.

A publicly-listed Australian video games giant will open a new Gold Coast studio, creating dozens of new jobs.

Developers working on games in Australia have previously raised concerns about the cost of doing business compared to overseas.

But the Queensland and Federal governments have announced incentives for games businesses this year, in a bid to boost the billion-dollar industry, which is bigger than the film industry.

Queensland’s new Post-Production, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) incentive “is the most competitive on Australia’s eastern seaboard”, according to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

It’s attracted developer and self-publisher PlaySide Studios to the Gold Coast and Ms Palaszczuk said it would create 50 to 70 jobs.

Of PlaySide’s plans, she told Queensland Parliament on Wednesday: “I announced a new game-changing 15 per cent rebate incentive to drive more local, interstate and international games developers and studios to Queensland.

Video games are a massive industry and the hobby continues to boom in popularity around the world. Pictured is an image depicting Spider-Man Miles Morales on Sony’s PlayStation 5.

“Today I can further announce that Australia’s largest publicly listed video games company PlaySide Studios has decided to set up shop in Queensland.

In its first expansion outside of Melbourne, PlaySide will open a brand-new studio on the Gold Coast next year – creating around 50 to 70 new jobs as they grow.”

“Mr Speaker – PlaySide is the developer of Age of Darkness: Final Stand and other self-published games and has worked with other companies like Facebook, 2K, and studios, such as Disney, Pixar, Warner Bros, and Nickelodeon.”

Other titles by the PC and mobile games company include Archangel Hellfire and The Walking Dead Saints and Sinners

Ms Palaszczuk said she expected the incentive would attract more games companies.

“Mr Speaker, this PDV games incentive was live for just three weeks before we attracted our

first major games developer … I can’t wait to see what other games developers jump on-board,” she said.

Games revenue in Australia surpassed more than $3.4 billion last year.

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