Wellington Games Week plays into conference ambitions

Taking place between Melbourne Games Week and NZGDC’24, the first Wellington Games Week hosted 24 events. The events showcased the region’s vibrant gaming culture, and welcomed 1,500 attendees.

The one-day Kiwi Games Zone also reached new heights. There were 42 New Zealand-developed games showcased. These included student projects and upcoming game titles due for release in 2025. It attracted more than 500 attendees, providing developers with invaluable game feedback from both the industry and public.

New Zealand Game Developers Association executive director Joy Keene says these public-facing elements were part of a conference legacy project for NZGDC. Supported by Business Events Wellington, the project aims to further elevate the profile of New Zealand’s successful gaming sector.

“[In 2024] the New Zealand game industry reached a milestone of $548m annual revenue. 99% of that is export revenue, up from $434m the previous year. New Zealanders spent $708m on video games annually, but only $6m of that was spent on domestic games. There is so much potential for game development in New Zealand.”

NZGDC’24 took place at Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre from 17 to 19 October. It attracted more than 880 participants for three days of sessions and workshops.

Championing the creative tech sector

Celebrating its third consecutive year in Wellington in 2024, the NZGDC continues its mission to cement Wellington’s reputation as a creative tech hub. The event fosters cross-pollination between Wellington’s strong screen sectors. Film, TV, and games converge through content and networking opportunities.

Screen Wellington head of attraction Mark Westerby says his organisation’s remit of ‘anything with a screen’ saw it present a showreel at the conference. It highlighted 21 Wellington businesses across gaming, digital, VFX, and animation. It also showcased the diversity of games personnel in the region. A docu-series on local game development is also in production, intending to broadcast via mainstream media in 2025. This year’s NZGDC programme included an increased focus on business skills. This is to help professionalise the industry’s image and take game developers beyond passion into publication.

The Steam sale held during Games Week was the most successful yet, Keene noted: “Steam is a gateway to getting publishers to pick up your game. One NZ game attracted over 50,000 ‘wish lists’ on its own during the week-long sale. With this type of interest, we are confident that there’s an investor waiting for them in the wings.”

Another conference stream focused on student engagement. More than 120 students attended talks on pathways into the industry and behind-the-scenes studio tours.

There was also programming aimed at improving diversity in the creative sector. This included sessions on neurodiversity, accessibility, and women in gaming.

Increased international presence

NZGDC’24 welcomed four international scouts to attend. The event and the level of talent and creative IP generated in New Zealand impressed them.

A familiarisation tour for international games studios, developers, and investors was also successful. This VIP group visited Floating Rock and Wētā Workshop to see games in development, and Park Road Post to see its tech work and facilities.

Wellington companies continue to engage with these VIPs post-event. Mark notes there's increased interest from international companies in calling Wellington home. “There’s a direct result of potential business between these companies. That’s exactly what this conference and Wellington Games Week is for.

It’s so vital and important to Wellington. We have to hold these world-class events to attract work here and get people to invest. There’s so much opportunity.”