tiredlyrebird

The thriving Australian video game scene has over 150 projects in active development. So we compiled them all into one handy resource.

Join us in celebrating amazing Aussie projects and take a look at the 150+ Aussie games of 2026 and Beyond!

Read Here:
checkpointgaming.net/features/202...

And just a final general footnote that relying on unpaid volunteer labour is not always necessarily 'unethical'. What's unethical is *making a profit* from volunteer or unpaid labour. It is okay for a community to invest itself in the work of maintaining itself as a community!

Ultimately, I hope Freeplay finds a way to return to and persist in its more ragtag low budget from, relying on the community that in turn gets so much from it to sustain it. Or people start new ragtag events in new dojos without a budget to make the new CEOS of the game industry feel uncomfortable.

Volunteering is not unethical. It's not exploitation to willingly give your labour and your love to something that gives you back all of it and more - connection, celebration, opportunities, a platform, created by you, for you. We need to reexamine this idea, this fear, that every time we do something for free, it means we've been robbed, and every time we ask someone to do something, it's manipulation. I know how it feels to be in this position, but it's killing our communities. It's killing our relationships. We are not businesses, we are people, and the things we want to give and receive are numerous. I hope we can change how we view this, because if we can only get things done with money, we let the people with capital dictate everything that happens.

one more thing about freeplay, and an issue that's been on my mind for a while (alt text available):

Freeplay 2025 was one of the events I was able to convince myself to go to last year, and it reminded why I love games so fucking much. It's so crucial to have events like Freeplay that highlight how games aren't disposable.

An update: Unfortunately Freeplay didn’t secure multi-year funding and is potentially looking at its last year of operation. We’re exploring what comes next & want your input.

Read our full statement here: www.freeplay.net.au/survey2026

Help us decide our next step here: forms.gle/W4ZSns1bGCX1...

announcing........ the WIZARD PUNKS!!! release date!

(i also kind of waterboarded myself recording this)

anyways: WIZARD PUNKS!!! comes out March 16th 2026!

go wishlist it now: store.steampowered.com/app/3332770/...

#wizardpunks #indiedev #gamedev #steamgame #indiegame #wizard #punk

MTF Squad: SCP Foundation

MtF Squad: FIST

KNOW THE DIFFERENCE — IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE!

i'd like to think that this past year will always be special to me, the year that i came out for good, but i'd love to think it'll just be another year in a boring normal life. either way, i'm happy to be here with y'all. to the years that follow!! 💜

and i've got a resolution and everything!! i want to do some community building... maybe not formally, but there are some real cool people i need to put in a room together for fun (and science)

in the past they've mostly just passed me by, so it's nice to get to spend one with some good friends for a change

happy new year!!

wowow world, the Nonolith demo is out now!

A mysterious metroid-BRAIN-ia with hundreds of surprising 'aha' moments that will redefine what is and always has been possible.

There are secrets everywhere, even this little demo has so much to discover!

Only 5 more days left to pledge! bit.ly/croc-dance-ks
Crocodile Dance is a 2D/3D African animated thriller about a cursed musician who must confront a water goddess (Mami Wata) to reclaim her power.

#Kickstarter #animatedfilm #crocodiledance #afrofuturism #africanfuturism #africananimation

Find love in the darkest night in romantic horror narrative game Drăculești 🦇

Coming to Early Access (PC/Mac) on 2nd March 2026

Wishlist on Steam 🖤
store.steampowered.com/app/2537980/Draculesti/

the WIZARD PUNKS!!! demo has just come out as part of the @frostygamesfest.com Frosty Mini Steam Event!

go play it!!!
store.steampowered.com/app/3332770/...

#wizardpunks #frostymini #gamedev #indiedev #partygame #anzgames

i've been making tiktoks/reels/shorts for WIZARD PUNKS!!! for the last 2 weeks, but i've decided this one is funny enough i can make it a bsky post as well

#wizardpunks #gamedev #indiedev #partygame

PLAYTEST IS LIVE! Feed mama, find bugs and play Mama's Sleeping Angels RIGHT NOW!!!

black and white portrait of triangular robotic head

black and white portrait of a man with a heavily damage left side of his head.

black and white portrait of robotic eye hanging from wires and tubes.

black and white portrait of woman with big eyes and swooping hair

Over the course of the month I drew a portrait or 2(hundred) in #over/under and called them 🩸HEADSHOTS🩸

And @sean.tuesdayknightgames.com said he might put them in the Mothership app so now you can all apply gentle pressure to that situation too! lol

drive.google.com/drive/folder...

boosting this one more time 💃 the deadline is tomorrow, BUT meaningfully i'm not going to have time to look through submissions til the weekend, so you can fudge a liiiittle. either way, hopefully it ends up fun enough that i do another one with a different theme soon

The Rockstar Workers Fired Before They Could Finish GTA 6 YouTube video by People Make Games

I went to meet the 'Rockstar 31', the developers who were suddenly fired from their work on GTA 6 for what the studio has described as gross misconduct.

That's not what the workers call it though. They have another couple of words they prefer to use: union busting.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9nO...

i'm working on a horror game where the levels are alive

it comes out next year, wishlist panoptique here:
store.steampowered.com/app/4100350?...

#PitchYaGame #Solodev #indiegame #horrorgame #godotengine

Screenshot of the top of a Bsky feed, with a red circle around the hamburger menu in the top left.

Wondering why no one likes your posts anymore, even among your friends? It's because @jay.bsky.team and team have decided to hide a huge amount of content from all of our feeds by default.

Here's how to turn it off.

First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner

A graph titled “The Creative Process” showing a cute pumpkin girl going through stages of making something. She starts out high up, “I just had the best idea!!!” and starts sliding down a hill “this isnt as simple as I expected.” She winds up in The Swamp of Despair (two skulls say: “this part sucks! don’t give up!”) She says, “this sucks, I suck. Why am I wasting my time.” She crawls her way out of the swamp “it’s not perfect but I’m going to finish” and crests the final hill, “it’s done??? I lived???” Finally, she walks away from it all, glittering with pride. “This turned out pretty good!”

the swamp of despair (from 2018)

ENTER THE PRISON

My survival horror game, panoptique, now has a Steam page! Watch the teaser and wishlist it here:
store.steampowered.com/app/4100350/...

#screenshotsaturday #indiedev #horror #horrorgame #gamedev #solodev #godot #godotengine

some vivians

Liz Little on Games and Ergodic Lit An interview with Liz Little on Games and Ergodic Literature

My final interview in the SPINE design series is w/ @liz-shrikestudio.bsky.social about what games can learn from House of Leaves. Liz discusses the implications of calling You Will Die in This Place a book versus a game, how metanarrative informs mechanics, and the paradox of unplayed indie ttrpgs.

Malys 1.0 Launch Trailer Malys is OUT NOW on Steam!Play the game via bit.ly/playmalysExorcise the infernal and exact vengeance in this unholy roguelite deckbuilder from David Gaider ...

🔥 Malys is OUT NOW in 1.0! 🔥

For a game about demons, you've all been absolute angels - thank you for your support along the way & we're so happy to share Malys' full release with you 🖤

Check out the launch trailer and then get exorcising below!

STARNET logo on a purple math-pattern background. Full text reads: Orion Spur Systems Collective STARNET Initiative. "NO MATTER WHAT, 'STARNET' MEANS HOPE." Sequence of dots below the title: ●●●●●●○●○● ●●●●●●○●○●

"NO MATTER WHAT, 'STARNET' MEANS HOPE."

Delphinium's Kickstarter will go live on October 27th, 9:00AM ACDT 🩵💫