| He kōrero nā te kaihautu | Executive Director's Note |
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Kia ora Gina,
What an incredible NZGDC! The 2025 conference was a huge success and proudly showcased New Zealand’s place on the global stage. We were thrilled to hear from friends across the Tasman during Melbourne Games Week that NZGDC set a new benchmark for quality, creativity, and community spirit. It is wonderful to see Aotearoa’s game development sector being celebrated around the world.
The NZGDA Board Elections open on 3 November, and the AGM will be held at the end of the month. This is a really important time for our community. It’s your opportunity to help shape the future of NZGDA by electing new Board members and showing your support through attendance. Your voice matters, and we’d love to see as many members as possible involved. Calendar invites will be sent to members shortly, so please keep an eye out and save the date when it arrives.
There was also some encouraging news last week, with Labour’s pre-election campaign strategy including strong support for the game development sector. The proposal would raise the GDSR cap to $4.5 million, lower the entry threshold to $200,000, and increase the rebate rate to 25 percent — a huge boost if implemented.
Finally, a big thank you to everyone who made NZGDC such a success: our volunteers, speakers, sponsors, and delegates. Your creativity and enthusiasm are what make this industry so special.
And if you missed out on merch at the conference, good news! We still have NZGDC merch available, so keep an eye on our social channels for what’s on offer.
Ngā mihi nui,
Joy Keene, Executive Director |
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NZGDA Board Nominations for 2026 are open until midnight tonight (28th October)! If you're passionate about games and want to be involved in shaping the future of games in Aotearoa, then complete your nomination here - like - now! |
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Labour announces the party will expand eligibility for the Game Development Sector Rebate if elected. |
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Have your say by taking part in the expanded NZGDA Workforce Survey. This survey aims to better understand the experiences, challenges, and aspirations of people working in the New Zealand game development industry.
Your responses will help inform advocacy, shape industry support, and highlight opportunities to better support the individuals in our industry.
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Expressions of Interest for CODE Round 7 Travel Grants have opened. EOIs are open to applicants nationally across Aotearoa New Zealand for a two week period until 6 November. Find out more |
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The 2025 NZ Plays Report from IGEA in conjunction with Bond University, shows video games are now a regular part of life in most New Zealand homes and new research shows parents are not only on board with their kids playing video games, but are actively embracing it. Read more |
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NewZoo's latest Global Games Market Report is out now and kicks off with a "special focus" series. This edition explores how Roblox has evolved into an entertainment ecosystem, and what developers need to know to succeed. Read more |
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The latest Xsolla Report delivers current data about player demographics, behaviour and monetisation strategies. Read more |
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Would you like to see all the amazing moments captured during NZGDC? Click here to view the full photo gallery and relive those special memories! |
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The recorded sessions from NZGDC are on the NZGDA YouTube channel, so you can catchup on talks you missed, re-visit the ones you wanted to see again and find new content you didn't know you needed! |
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Please take a few minutes to fill out the NZGDC post-event survey. Your feedback is so important as it helps us improve future events and ensures we deliver the content and experiences you value most!
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Trent Kusters chats with Dave Oshry of New Blood Interactive. They discuss how Dave went from games journalism to publishing; navigating the ins and outs of publishing on PC, how they landed their first deal and more |
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We welcome our most recent individual and student members and are glad many of you were able to attend NZGDC recently. We also extend a warm welcome to our newest Studio Members. |
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Bundle are on a mission to become the most creative, innovative and effective digital learning agency on the planet.
"We're especially excited about joining NZGDA, as games and learning gamification are becoming a bigger part of the learning solutions we create for our clients, including PlayStation, Heathrow Airport, innocent drinks, Sony Music and more" |
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Lesser Key Studios was started by a group of friends in 2023 who all have a passion for telling an interactive story with meaning.
Based in Ōtepoti Dunedin, we received assistance from CODE NZ to start our journey with our own games company. After meeting many other Kiwi devs at the San Francisco GDC in March, then again at PAX Australia this year, we decided it was time to join NZGDA and meet the wider community. |
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Thank you to everyone for your ongoing support. It's because of you that we are able to do what we do. Together, we’re building something incredible! |
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| Kaupapa whakatairanga | Events |
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Find great local and international events on the NZGDA Event Calendar here including Game Dev Christchurch 10th anniversary meetup! |
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If you have news, content, community activities, events or jobs to share, email info@nzgda.com |
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