NZGDA

Super excited to have an early demo out there for our upcoming Steam title, Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days. The IP has had great success over the last 12 years since its debut on mobile, and this latest iteration looks like it will carry on that legacy based on the huge positive response we've had today. Congrats to the team, and roll on Early Access!

CODE NZ at PAX Aus 2024 🎮 We're proud to have partnered with the CODE NZ - New Zealand Centre of Digital Excellence once again for their stand at PAX Aus 2024. This year, CODE NZ showcased 18 incredible New Zealand-made games, highlighting the talent and creativity of the gaming industry. Attendees at PAX Aus 2024 had the unique opportunity to experience a diverse range of New Zealand-made games, thanks to CODE NZ. From "Beyond These Stars" to "Burger Bois", there was something for every gamer to enjoy. The CODE NZ stand was a bustling hub of activity, attracting both casual players and industry professionals alike. This showcase highlighted the thriving indie game development scene in New Zealand and demonstrated CODE NZ's commitment to supporting local talent. Thank you to CODE NZ for your continued trust in Crowd Culture. We're excited to see what you have in store for 2025 and beyond! #PAXAus #Gaming #NewZealand #IndieGames #BrandActivation #CrowdCulture #CODE NZ

Watching families getting active and playing together is the most rewarding part of making Game Night. So wholesome! We were at #NZGDC, demoing and talking about designing for Mixed Reality. #MixedReality #Quest

A week on from being in Wellington for my first #NZGDC24 Still absolutely buzzing from the event, the people, the learnings and the community I have found myself working within. It helped to have a rather important pitch to kick off the festivities - Hopefully, more info to follow shortly!! Firstly a massive shoutout to Jeremy Sweetman for dragging me along (and giving me a job in this weird and wonderful industry) He's put countless hours into developing our current pitch and pushing me in the right direction. It's amazing to see how quickly we can produce high-quality (and well-received) work. The highlights for me were: - Catching up with friends (Louis Lambert) - Meeting the amazing community (too many to list) - Coffee w/ Ted DiNola - A unicorn of a human with more energy than a nuclear power plant, and sage advice to boot - Killing your Darling - Érika Casab This has already impacted how I think about my own passion project(s) - Within Scope - Olivier Chrun had great advice on how to effectively manage agile in the game dev space (lovely to catch up post-playtesting! Looking forward to the next build!) - Getting in-person time with the amazing team at Liquid Static Studio - Finally meeting our CODE handler Antony Maday (and the rest of the amazing team CODE NZ - New Zealand Centre of Digital Excellence ) There's probably more I've missed but, already looking forward to next year. Massive thanks to NZGDA for hosting this space for the community to come together and celebrate. #nzgda #nzgdz #sweetaskiwi

I attended my first New Zealand Game Developer's Conference (NZGDC) last week and loved it. I've been interested in going for years, but I wasn't sure of the value of it for an XR developer. But I was encouraged to see there was huge amount of XR content, and I can't wait for next year. If I have missed any XR content off, let me know and I'll add it in. Keynotes: Meta's Ted DiNola gave the opening keynote. Beyond's Jessica Manins gave the closing keynote. Talks/panels: Building an Immersive VR Game as a Solo Indie Dev @matthalford Fractal Mind Studios Designing for Mixed Reality Steven Linton - Fantail Game Panel: Exploring The Potential of Spatial Computing Jessica Manins - Beyond, Sam Ramlu - Mighty Eyes, Steven Linton - Fantail Games, Q - Meta How to use Unity's cross-platform XR support to make your life easier @thomashall - Niantic Aotearoa NZ Kiwi Game Zone: Rival Stars Horse Racing: VR Edition - PikPok https://lnkd.in/g5Z9EnNR Game Night - Fantail Games https://lnkd.in/gCU7EkMu Tesseract: First Chapter - Fractal Mind Studios https://lnkd.in/gx-fSAt3 Project Mix - Plectrum Software https://lnkd.in/gCjzkZ6d *There were also a number of XR related projects from students and universities, which I unfortunately don't have the details for.

🚀 Phenomenal Growth in NZ Game Development Industry! 🎮 We’re excited to announce that New Zealand’s game development industry has demonstrated remarkable resilience and growth over the 2023/2024 financial year, generating an incredible NZD $548 million in pre-tax revenue – a 26% increase from the previous year! Our industry is on track to achieve even more success in the coming years. Read more on this and other interesting insights at https://lnkd.in/gE9n9d5Z

Great insights from the #NZGDC this year. I'm working through them bit by bit. There's a LOT to sift through! An engaging stand-out was Adam Rohe’s insight into how to bolster positive impact by focusing on your circle. Adam spoke about how the halo effect has been used to inch the Coromandel Peninsula towards predator free status. By setting up pockets of protected areas where the ecosystem can be restored and rewilded, these ultimately spill over to join up with the other growing pockets until the entire region is predator free. Start small and use the momentum from the wins as you go to achieve the positive change you’re looking for across the whole ecosystem. Throw a party for your friends and let the halo effect ripple outward to improve morale, representation and genuine inclusion. Small actions continuously implemented and supported move us all forward to better. Mmmhmm, that smells freshly delicious. I’m IN! Thanks Adam - awesome energy and perspective :D #NZGDC #AotearoaGames #gamedev #NZGDA #SweetAsKiwis #Rewilding

This is insane and my mind is still trying to process this!!! The New Zealand video game industry brought in over $548 million NZD this year despite there only being 1097 full time employees. At the rate the industry is growing the video game industry in NZ will become the third biggest revenue generator for the country in the next 5 years behind agriculture and tourism!! Kudos to all the game devs and NZGDA #gaming

🥝 Kia ora koutou! 🥝 What an absolute privilege it was to attend and speak at this year’s New Zealand Game Developers Conference (NZGDC) alongside my amazing team from NZ On Air. Being surrounded by such incredible creativity and talent reminded me how special this community really is 💖 This Wellington Games Week was a vibrant reminder of the games industry’s massive potential - not just for economic growth, but for showcasing Aotearoa’s unique voice on the global stage. In just one year, revenue soared from $434 million in 2023 to $548 million in 2024, with 97% of that driven by high-value weightless exports 🌏. Despite intense global competition, Kiwi studios aren’t just keeping up - they’re thriving, innovating, and building something truly world-class. With this momentum, they're well on their way to becoming a billion-dollar export industry - a testament to the enthusiasm, creativity, and resilience that define them. NZGDC also highlighted the incredible power of community, not just as a space to swap ideas but as a place where we uplift each other and build a future where everyone, no matter their background, feels empowered to jump in and thrive. This isn’t just about numbers, it’s about creating meaningful careers and opening doors for people from all walks of life. The latest NZGDA industry survey shows that 2 out of 5 senior leaders in the games industry now identify as women, sending an encouraging message to young girls to dream big and to young people everywhere that this industry welcomes talent from all backgrounds. When we create space for a wide range of voices, we unlock new ideas and perspectives that lead to some of the most innovative and engaging games. It’s this diversity of thought and experience that drives the most meaningful and resonant player experiences 🎮✨ Let’s keep the momentum going - toward a future where creativity, innovation, and inclusion define New Zealand’s place on the world stage. Together, we’re building a sector that reflects the best of who we are and paves the way for future generations. #NZGDC #AotearoaGames #gamedev #NZGDA #WellingtonGamesWeek

That's a wrap on my first games conference, NZGDC - It was an absolute blast with so much learning, support and innovation in one place. Our industry has so much creativity, storytelling, and diversity where we lift everyone up. I'm so glad to be a part of this community. Thanks NZGDA for having me and CerebralFix Limited for sending me. It was lovely to meet so many amazing people full of so much passion. Big shout out to Joshua Villgren for always being there for me over so many years and bringing me along on so many adventures. 📷 The University of Canterbury crew showcasing their student games on an international stage at NZGDC. I'm so lucky to call these people some of my closest friends.