Young Territory game designers win $40k grant to fund new NT-set video game

The pair, recently graduated from CDU, are in pre-production on a puzzle platformer game set in the NT.

Skye Lavelle and Declan Smyth, the creative minds behind Hex Bound, an emotionally rich puzzle platformer set in the Northern Territory. They have been given a $40k grant to develop the game. Picture: Supplied

Two young Territory gamers have been awarded a $40,000 grant prize to bring their video game project to life.

Skye Lavelle and Declan Smyth have known each since high school, and are both recent graduates of CDU with Arts and Computer Science degrees respectively.

Ms Lavelle said the pair have been working on video games since 2021, and have always shared a “passion for storytelling and design”.

The pair are now in pre-production on their game Hex Bound, a fantasy puzzle platformer set in the NT.

Hex Bound was one of 23 games nationwide to receive funding, which comes from Screen Australia and Screen Territory.

The game follows a half-witch, half-fae protagonist, and explores identity, illness and belonging.

Skye Lavelle and Declan Smyth, the creative minds behind Hex Bound, an emotionally rich puzzle platformer set in the Northern Territory. Their game explores identity, illness, and belonging through the eyes of a half-witch, half-fae protagonist caught between two worlds. Picture: Supplied

“Declan recently overcame cancer, and that’s been a really important, powerful experience for both of us,” Ms Lavelle said.

“I also wanted to share my own story - being bi-racial, half Australian and half Chinese Timorese.”

Ms Lavelle said the grant funding was “incredibly valuable”, as funding for video games in the NT has been “scarce”.

“It will help sustain us while we freelance part-time, and it gives us the chance to work with musicians, audio experts, and mentors,” she said.

Ms Lavelle said she hopes to inspire others to pursue game development.

“Video games are one of the most powerful storytelling mediums - they combine art, music, narrative, and emotion in a really unique way. I love it so much.”

Originally published as Young Territory game designers win $40k grant to fund new NT-set video game