Melbourne International Games Week (MIGW) will once again play host to games marketplace Play Now in October 2024, with a range of global publishers confirmed to attend. As in its inaugural year, local Australian developers are encouraged to prepare a pitch and connect with a host of potential investors, publishers, and platform holders to share their biggest ideas.
So far, publishers confirmed to attend include: Devolver Digital, Raw Fury, Oculus Publishing from Meta, Team17, Massive Monster, Fellow Traveller, Akupara Games, Landfall, ASTRA Logical, UltraPlayers, and PlaySide Studios. Each will be open to pitches from developers ready to share more about their latest projects.
Update 2/7: VicScreen has also locked in attendance from ID@Xbox, Super Rare Games, Focus Entertainment, The Arcade Crew, and Cult Games.
“Over AUD $25 million worth of projects were presented at VicScreen’s Play Now Melbourne in 2023, connecting local developers with international publishers and platform holders,” Caroline Pitcher, CEO of VicScreen said in a press release. “This year Play Now has grown with more publishers taking part and over 150 meetings slated, creating more opportunities for local developers to sell their games to the world.”
Read: VicScreen launches Play Now Melbourne games market
The return of Play Now feels very important this year, as publishing and investment opportunities within the global games industry have begun to dry up. Pitching has become incredibly competitive, and also less approachable, with companies making tougher decisions about budgets and funding.
This should provide a great opportunity for Australian-based game developers to speak face-to-face with potential investors, and gain an understanding of their desires in an ever-shifting market.
How to apply for Play Now Melbourne 2024
Applications for Play Now Melbourne 2024 are now open via the VicScreen website.
Those applying should consider the criteria presented, and the maturity of their intended project for pitching. Play Now is best approached with firm ideas in mind, and a pitch polished enough to impress its recipients.
Stay tuned for more news about Play Now Melbourne, and Melbourne International Games Week (MIGW).
