The Hon. Andrew Stoner MP
Deputy Premier of NSW
Minister for Trade and Investment
Minister for Regional Infrastructure and Services
MEDIA RELEASE
Monday 5 December 2011
NEXT PHASE OF ‘FRUIT NINJA’ GAME TO BE DEVELOPED IN
SYDNEY
The next edition of Fruit Ninja, one of the world’s most popular apps, will be developed in
Sydney with game developers Halfbrick Studios opening a new Sydney office, NSW
Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner announced today.
Mr Stoner said the NSW Government had secured the investment through the new $3
million Interactive Media Fund.
“The worldwide gaming phenomenon Fruit Ninja will now grow even bigger with a new
project to be led by a recently-formed Sydney team of the top Australian games developer
Halfbrick Studios,” Mr Stoner said.
“This will be Halfbrick’s second studio, with its current Brisbane office responsible for the
creation of the original Fruit Ninja which recently surpassed over 100 million downloads
across a variety of platforms and was named by Time magazine's as one of the 50 Best
iPhone Apps of 2011.
“Sydney-based developer Aidan Millott and colleague Dale Freya are currently hiring a
new team of talented games developers for the new Halfbrick Sydney studio.
“The new Sydney team will develop the next evolution of the Fruit Ninja games franchise.
The new game will involve players launching a series of fruit to knock ninjas off their
towers in a 3D world, with each fruit having special powers.
“The game, due out in 2012, will initially be developed for Apple’s iOS mobile operating
system but will later be provided for other platforms including Android.”
Mr Stoner said the NSW Government’s Interactive Media Fund will provide $3 million over
two years to support creative digital content, including electronic games and transmedia
projects.
“This fund will help NSW build its share of the high-value digital games sector which will be
increasingly important in developing serious business and education tools, as well as
entertainment games like the latest Fruit Ninja project,” Mr Stoner said.
“The global digital games market is expected to more than double to $53 billion by 2016
and mobile gaming to triple to $17.5 billion.”
Interactive Media Fund projects being supported by NSW Government
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Fruit Ninja IP by Halfbrick Studios: The next evolution of the highly successful
Fruit Ninja games franchise will be developed in Sydney, initially on Apple’s iOS
mobile operating system. Players will launch a series of fruit to knock ninjas off their
towers in a 3D world, with each fruit having special powers.
Dog Money World: The team from Dog Money World are creating an advanced
mobile games platform encompassing augmented reality, social components and
real-time location gaming. A narrative can be wrapped around the technology for an
integrated audience-experience linked to any film or television show. Players
become part of the story, undertaking virtual missions in real locations and
competing against friends and other users to become the top-ranked player. While
developed with crime fiction in mind, the white label platform can support any story
theme from vampires and werewolves to fairies and elves.
Flashcards for iPad by INKIDS Pty Ltd: An expansion to the Flashcards
educational software title designed for children 2-10 years old to help them learn
the alphabet, new words and new languages. INKIDS will build on their concept to
create cross-platform titles with the goal to make Flashcards the best children's
learning application in the portable device educational software category across
many languages and countries.
CADMAP (working title) by Ambulance Research Institute: A serious game to
assist paramedics in their clinical decision making skills by simulating emergency
situations from the safety of their mobile phones.
Expansion of Nnooo Pty Ltd: An expansion to the indie game developer’s staff
will see the employment of two junior programmers, allowing the company to grow
more quickly through rapid development of its software. The new programmers will
develop Nnooo’s new game escapeVektor for the Nintendo 3DS and PC/Mac or
Playstation Vita.
Tag Town by MOD Productions: A location-based game that is played crossplatform using mobile apps and desktop web browsers. At its core is a social mobile
experience where players identify locations from photographic clues as they move
around in the real world.
Habitat: the Game by Australian Documentaries: Habitat is an online and mobile
game for 8-12 year olds, supported by an animation series, which encourages
players to reduce their environmental footprint and help their very own online wild
animal survive and flourish.
Media contact: Office of the Deputy Premier 9228 5209