The PAX Australia 2023 event held in Melbourne last week was huge! This year marked the event’s 10th anniversary and it has truly lived up to its impressive scale and variety.
It proved its name as a gaming spectacle, bringing together hundreds of participants from various niches of the gaming industry and thousands of guests who came to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the gaming world.
A Diverse Gaming Landscape
This year’s PAX Australia featured countless booths from game developers showcasing their games, dozens of interactive areas with gaming activities, and thousands of visitors eager to immerse themselves in gaming: digital and board games, eSports, VR, and more.
The event was attended by representatives from various segments of the gaming industry, including hundreds of indie game developers, larger studios presenting multiple upcoming or released titles, and various board game creators and their products. For a comprehensive overview of the key players in the industry, including both indie developers and established studios, you can explore the list of Australian game development companies to get a detailed look at who’s making waves in the gaming scene.
In addition, there was an HTC Vive zone with an immersive virtual reality experience where anyone could put on a VR headset and immerse themselves in immersive virtual worlds, eSports zones for racing, fighting, shooting, and MOBA games with a variety of teams and their fans cheering on the teams, as well as exhibitors showcasing gaming gadgets and accessories all contributed to the vibrant atmosphere.
Segmentation of the APAC Gaming Market
One standout feature was segmenting the digital gaming market into various zones, each representing different regions and themes. Melbourne-based game developers had a significant presence, reflecting the city’s status as a hub for game development in Australia. We’ve seen a lot of great titles in various stages of development or release. You could play all of them, share your feedback with the developers, and learn about plans.
A separate zone was dedicated to game developers from New Zealand, who brought many new and exciting projects to the event. We had already met some of them at the Games Connect Asia Pacific (GCAP), which took place a few days before, so it was great to meet again and test their titles in person.
Larger teams of Australian game developers were represented at dedicated spaces and showed several new projects simultaneously. Seeing their beautiful booths, well thought out and themed around their gaming products, was fantastic. Some of them allowed visitors to immerse themselves in the game’s atmosphere. These excellent PR activities made it possible to remember each specific project and did not leave the players indifferent.
Also, giants of the gaming industry, such as Sega and Nintendo, occupied the central areas of the exhibition and offered everyone various gaming activities. Notably, attendees got hands-on with Super Mario Bros. Wonder, a highly anticipated Nintendo Switch release set to launch later this month.
Australian Gaming Trends vs. Global Shifts
However, it was clear that Australia’s gaming market distribution differed significantly from global trends. While PC and console games dominate the Australian market, mobile games have a significantly larger share globally. This discrepancy provides a fascinating insight into the possible path forward for the Australian gaming industry. While the global gaming market is mobile-first, the Australian audience prefers large screens, keyboards, and gamepads more than mobile gaming.
Perhaps in the future, the trend towards mobile games will increase, but at the moment, there is a significant lag in the mobile segment from other types of games.
Indie Gems
One of the most rewarding aspects of PAX Australia 2023 was the chance to connect with talented indie teams. These passionate micro-teams are crafting their initial gaming titles, and it was both enlightening and inspiring to test their games and engage in conversations about their development journeys and plans.
It was fascinating to learn that many developers worked on their projects part-time alongside full-time careers unrelated to the gaming industry.
Despite this, the quality of their projects, both in terms of graphics and gameplay, was often remarkable. These micro-teams represent the potential for future growth in the Australian gaming market. We wish them all growth, a successful release, and good sales! So they can create even more great products.
A Promising Future for Australian Gaming
Although the Australian gaming market is not as large compared to other local markets in the US and APAC region, the dedication of these new micro-teams and part-time developers, the productivity of the gaming teams as a whole, and the support of the government and various government programs promise a thriving industry.
The Australian gaming scene is poised for sustained growth, offering more opportunities for aspiring game creators, providing more jobs for gaming professionals, gaining ever larger audiences domestically and internationally, and cementing its place on the global gaming stage.
Looking Ahead to PAX Australia 2024
PAX Australia 2023 was an exciting showcase of what’s next in the ever-evolving gaming world. As we look forward to the next installment of this gaming madness next year, we’re filled with anticipation and curiosity that only gamers and industry peers can understand.
See you all next year at PAX Australia 2024, where gaming continues to evolve, innovate, and engage audiences worldwide!
