Creative Industries
Recent Queensland Government estimates, suggest that the Queensland Creative Industries sector is worth $3.4 billion annually and generates approximately $1.1 billion in annual export sales. A $60 million Creative Industries Precinct at the Queensland University of Technology is dedicated to the co-location, development and promotion of the creative industries in Brisbane.
The convergence between creative industries and ICT will continue to be a focus for sourcing investment into Brisbane from major markets such as the UK, USA and Asia. Games development, digital media and digital content will provide outstanding opportunities for multinationals looking for a location that offers both cost and quality advantages.
Brisbane is the unquestionable hub of games development in Australia. Low production costs, fresh creative talent and a high quality development environment (compared with other centres globally) are drawcards for publishing giants Sony, THQ, Sega and Microsoft. Established games developers based in Brisbane include: THQ, Creative Assembly (Sega), Krome Studios, Tantalus, Wildfire Studios and Halfbrick Studios.
Local developments and innovations within the multimedia industry are also giving Brisbane an innovative and creative edge within the field of digital media. Brisbane-based multimedia firm Hoodlum has just been awarded its first Primetime Creative Arts Emmy in Los Angeles for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media Fiction
Sectors
Interactive games development
The highest concentration of game developers in Australia is in Queensland. Over 20 companies enjoy low production costs and access to fresh creative talent. Their work has attracted the attention of global publishers such as Sony, Electronic Arts, Nintendo and Microsoft. They include:
- THQ Studios Australia – A global games powerhouse, THQ has established a game development studio in Brisbane working on a number of announced and unannounced titles for next generation consoles.
- Krome Studios – Krome is the largest game developer in Australia with an impressive catalogue of acclaimed titles and over 300 staff.
- Creative Assembly (Sega Australia) – This leading UK games developer’s Brisbane studio is reputable for producing high profile titles and hugely successful strategy games. Brisbane’s own Medieval II: Total War topped UK games sales and won IGN’s Best Strategy Game of E3 2006.
- Tantalus – With over 60 staff, the studio renowned for titles such as Cars, Top Gear Rally and SpongeBob SquarePants, opened a brand new multi-team game development studio in Brisbane’s CBD in December 2008.
- Fuzzy Eyes – This Brisbane based games development company specialises in creating unique, alternate worlds for story-telling adventure games and have recently released ‘Edge of Twilight’.
Multimedia
Following the lead of a strong e-commerce industry, the multimedia sector in Brisbane has shown substantial growth and proven itself as a major force in the economy. The sector is well supported by the education sector, including the Griffith University Queensland College of Art. KPMG ranks Brisbane 4th among 121 cities for competitiveness in multimedia.
- Cutting Edge – a leading post-production facility servicing local, national and international markets.
- Liquid Animation – one of Australia’s leading animation and digital production studios.
- Hoodlum – a leader in digital entertainment, Hoodlum service a large market in quality media services ranging from filmmaking to audio mixing and visual developers.
Film and television
Film production expenditure in Queensland has increased 900% over the past decade. The support of the Pacific Film and Television Commission, an initiative of the Queensland Government, has helped the industry play on the international stage. Recent productions include Scooby Doo, Crocodile Dundee in LA, Flipper, The Thin Red Line.
- Warner Roadshow Studios – one of the largest studio lots in the Southern Hemisphere.
- Post Lounge – have worked on providing visual effects to high-profile advertisements, music videos and other reels.
- Photon VFX – a full service visual effects and animation facility based at Movie World studios, working with feature film and high-end television drama on a global scale.
Why Brisbane?
A creative labour pool
Brisbane’s creative community is well experienced and well educated. Currently, local universities have over 18,000 students enrolled in information technology and engineering related tertiary studies.
Cost-competitive environment
Labour costs are on average 10-15% lower than in Melbourne and Sydney. Taxation is generally lower, including Australia’s lowest payroll tax.
Infrastructure
Significant investment in the creative iIndustries and strong government support has resulted in a robust sector. Key facilities include:
- Three universities offering creative industries courses, with graduates recognised internationally.
- Griffith Film School, the largest film school in the country and member of the International Association of film and Television Schools, covering programs in Film, Television, Animation, Multi-media, Digital Media and Production.
- A $60 million Creative Industries Precinct at the Queensland University of Technology dedicated to the co-location, development and promotion of the creative industries.
- ACID – the Australasian cooperative Research Centre for Interaction Design, an education and research facility specializing in interaction design and user experience design.
- QUT Creative Enterprise Australia – Australia’s only specialist business incubator and business support organization dedicated to meeting the needs of the Creative Industries sector with a focus on new media, design, film and TV and music.
- Queensland Academy of Creative Industries – a specialist senior high school for high-performing students, QACI is part of QUT’s creative industries precinct where education emphasizes creativity, enterprise and specialist technology training.
- QANTM, a multimedia ICT training facility with a focus on software development, web construction, animation and games development.
- iLab – a facility created to accelerate growth of high tech business by bringing investors, innovators and entrepreneurs together.
- Brisbane Technology Park – a business and knowledge precinct dedicated to high-tech research and development.
- The research and training Creative Industries Research and Applications Centre (CIRAC) at the Queensland University of Technology
- The CRC for Smart internet technology operation delivering internet based innovations
Case Studies
Brisbane secures world leading electronic games development studio
Tantalus, one of the world's leading independent video game development companies has chosen Brisbane for its second development studio. The company renowned for titles such as Cars, Top Gear Rally, MX vs ATV and SpongeBob SquarePants, opened a brand new multi-team game development studio in Brisbane’s CBD fringes in December 2008.
Brisbane Marketing’s Investment Attraction division, the city’s inward investment agency worked with Tantalus for a number of years, providing critical introductions, developing business cases and assisting with property search, amongst other services.
Investment Attraction division Director Daniel Havas said that Brisbane’s capacity to generate world-class creative talent and its sustainable growth was a major draw card for Tantalus to invest in Brisbane.
"The new Tantalus studio will generate approximately 4.5% of Queensland’s industry revenue and employ over 5% of the games industry workforce."
Securing the international studio reaffirms, yet again, Brisbane’s reputation as the games development hub of Australia where almost half of the country’s industry is based in Brisbane.
CEO of Tantalus Tom Crago said the company was attracted to Brisbane because of the potential growth opportunities.
"We're setting up our studio at Queensland University of Technology's Creative Industries Precinct at Kelvin Grove," said Mr Crago.
"We have always been impressed with the quality of graduates coming out of Brisbane's educational institutions, so in the end the choice to establish our new studio in Brisbane was straightforward."
Tantalus joins other major international companies in Brisbane, such as THQ, Creative Assembly (Sega) and Australia’s largest independent games developer Krome Studios.
The Creative Assembly (Sega Australia)
Major UK games developer The Creative Assembly conducted a worldwide search to find the perfect location for its second studio and chose Brisbane. The lifestyle, low operating costs and talented population of computer and games design professionals were major attractions.
General Manager George Fidler said, “It came down to a hunt for the best talent and the most committed staff in the world, and Australia topped the list.” Government support and access to support agencies were also major factors when considering Brisbane. “Queensland is the most progressive in the value it places on developing new intellectual property over the next millennium,” Mr Fidler said.
Rome Total War, produced in Brisbane, won best strategy game at E3 in 2003, and was rated as the second best game of the year in 2004 by Time Magazine. The follow-up title Medieval II: Total War, was the winner of IGN’s Best Strategy Game of E3 2006. Having identified the skills of The Creative Assembly, Sega purchased the company in 2005. Creative Assembly Brisbane has been busily working on the next generation title Stormrise, slated for release in 2009. Stormrise will be the first truly 3D, next gen RTS strategy game placing the player directly in the action, via the 3rd person camera perspective.