Moving out set to become Victoria’s next big hit in digital games

Melbourne is cementing its place as one of the world’s leading hubs for games development with today’s worldwide release of the highly anticipated new game, Moving Out, from Melbourne studio SMG.

Moving Out is the latest family-friendly game to come out of Victoria and is set to achieve global success as households look for new ways to stay entertained indoors during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Sales of digital games have skyrocketed during recent months with Statistica recently reporting that between 16 and 22 March 2020, a total of 4.3 million games were sold worldwide, a 63 per cent increase on the week prior as people rushed to purchase games to play with their housemates and family members during lockdown.

Supported by Film Victoria, Moving Out is raising the bar for accessibility and representation in video games. The game boasts a huge range of features to ensure everyone can play, from dyslexic-friendly font to the ability to change time limits and level of difficulty. Players can also customise their character to represent themselves across different abilities and cultures, for example, the option that their character wear a hijab or be in a wheelchair.

SMG Co-Founder Ash Ringrose said: “We worked hard to ensure Moving Out was maximised for fun for everyone. The key accessibility features in the game means anyone can enjoy playing it, no matter what your gaming or physical abilities are. I’m so proud of Moving Out – it’s an amazing debut title from our talented Melbourne team.”

Film Victoria has been investing in digital games, alongside film and television, for more than 25 years and as a result the sector has experienced significant growth. Victoria is the digital games capital of Australia, with a globally recognised games community and a strong local ecosystem that has seen the development of internationally successful games including Crossy Road, Florence and Film Victoria-supported titles Flight Control, The Gardens Between and Untitled Goose Game, which has won a suite of major international awards including the 2020 BAFTA Award for Best Family Game.

Film Victoria CEO Caroline Pitcher said: “The thrill of digital games brings people together and playing Victorian-made games for entertainment and education is a great way to stay connected and support local developers. Moving Out is a stellar game and one we are very proud to have backed.”

“We’re committed to continuing to support Victorian businesses and developers to help them and their projects succeed, which in turn will continue to drive growth in Victoria’s vibrant games industry. During these challenging times, this is more important than ever.”

Moving Out is available now on Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

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