News - NZGDA

We’re pleased to announce that nominations for the 2025/2026 NZGDA Board are now open. If you’re passionate about shaping the future of New Zealand’s game development industry, we encourage you to stand for election. Candidates must be current NZGDA members to be eligible. Nominations close: 28 October 2025 Elections open: 3 November 2025 Elections Close: 17 November 2025 […]

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — September 26, 2025 The New Zealand Game Developers Association (NZGDA) today announced record-breaking results from its 2025 annual survey, revealing that the nation’s game development industry continues its rapid ascent on the global stage. Industry pre-tax income for the 2024/2025 financial year reached NZD 759.57 million, an impressive 38.6% increase over […]



As New Zealand’s game development sector continues to expand, collaboration between industry and education is becoming more important than ever. A new partnership between Mytona and Westlake Boys High School is helping to strengthen this connection. Together, they have launched one of the country’s first fully sponsored, structured game development programmes at secondary school level, […]

Wellington-based game studio Dinosaur Polo Club celebrates award-winning Mini Motorways hitting over nine million players and aims to redefine the strategy behind their simulation game with the launch of a massive free update called Creative Mode. The team view this update as something that was created as a love letter to fans. Mini Motorways is […]

Are you a passionate game creator with a Kiwi-made tabletop game? Here’s an exciting opportunity to showcase your creativity and connect with a highly engaged audience of gamers, enthusiasts, and industry professionals! What’s happening? The Table Top Games Showcase is a special event at the NZ Game Developers Conference (NZGDC) on Saturday, 27th September, from […]

Like all businesses providing goods and services in New Zealand, game studios are subject to rules and regulations around consumer protection. The Commerce Commission is responsible for monitoring and, where appropriate, enforcing these rules, including under the Consumer Guarantees Act and the Fair Trading Act. The Commission has recently undertaken some compliance monitoring of the […]

We’ve made a submission to the Education and Workforce Committee on the Inquiry into Online Harm experienced by young people. While we support efforts to keep rangatahi safe online, we strongly urge that video games not be lumped in with social media. Games offer structured, creative, and purpose-built experiences—not open-ended, algorithm-driven environments like social platforms. […]

Forty game development studios across Aotearoa New Zealand will receive a share of $22.44m in the second year of the Game Development Sector Rebate (GDSR), with initial data showing a 20.5 percent increase in roles and each GDSR-funded employee generating over $525,000 in revenue. In the second year of the GDSR, the number of studios […]



NZGDA has submitted industry feedback on Toi Mai’s proposed: Level 3 NZ Certificate in Creative Production/Promotion Level 5 NZ Diploma in Creative Production and Strategy We appreciate Toi Mai’s engagement with the sector and the opportunity to help shape qualifications that reflect real-world game development needs. Level 3 Certificate There is strong support for this […]

The New Zealand Game Developers Association has made a submission on the Education and Training Amendment Bill, which outlines the proposed replacement of Workforce Development Councils with Industry Skills Boards. Our response raised key concerns about the exclusion of digital technologies, including game development, from the scope of the new boards. This risks weakening the […]

Today, the New Zealand Game Developers Association has released an open letter outlining serious concerns with the proposed vocational education and training reforms. The open letter has been signed by studios, educators, and industry leaders across the game development and wider creative technology sectors. It highlights the risk that the reforms will exclude digital technologies […]

Wellington Games Week (WGW) is back for 2025, taking place from 27 September – 4 October. This exciting week celebrates the vibrant NZ games community, inviting developers, publishers, educators, studios, businesses, and all gaming enthusiasts to join us in Wellington. We are now accepting applications for this year’s lineup of satellite events, including workshops, exhibitions, […]