Innovation financing in the Australian video game industry

Drawing on a decade of investment data (2015–2025), this article offers a meso-level analysis of funding for Australian videogame companies by corporate and financial sector stakeholders. Findings reveal geographically concentrated investment in east coast urban centres, primarily driven by North American and Asian venture capital firms. In contrast to public funding from federal and state screen and arts agencies – which at least, nominally, emphasise cultural value – corporate and financial sector investment targets high-growth, high-risk ventures, particularly those aligned with emerging technologies. Situating these findings within recent debates on media financialisation, the article shows how investment flows and financial actors in the Australian videogame industry materially shape its industrial composition.