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Thousands flocked to Adelaide’s games super showcase as SAGE 2025 reveals award winners

08 February 2025

SAGE 2025 South Australian Game Exhibition announced the second SAGE Awards on Friday night, at the half-way point of Adelaide’s biggest video games event. A record 3,000+ people attended the expo at Adelaide Studios over the weekend to play and experience the best in South Australian-made video games, and meet the talented people behind them – keep reading to see photos from the event!

Presented by the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC), SAGE is a super showcase of South Australia’s video game development sector, running for its third year in 2025 as a special pre-festival activation on the Adelaide Fringe Interactive program.

The SAGE Award for Best in Exhibition, with a $2,000 prize from the SAFC, went to Powerbomb Games for their game Pro Jank Footy – a fun Australian rules football game fusing action-packed retro arcade-style gameplay with absurd Aussie humour.

It’s the brainchild of the South Australian creatives behind cult TV series Danger 5, David Ashby and Dario Russo, teaming up with South Australian indie game developer Tyler Roach, and featuring comedic commentary from Aunty Donna’s Broden Kelly.

Developed with support from Screen Australia’s Emerging Gamemaker Fund, the game was presented for the first time to the public at SAGE 2025 for live, in-person gameplay testing by gamers, footy fans and families.

Powerbomb Games’ David Ashby said: “Tyler and I are completely blown away by the reception to Pro Jank Footy. It’s been a truly wonderful experience watching kids and parents laugh and engage with our game, along with the rest of the local developers showcasing their work at SAGE. It’s very encouraging to creators and businesses alike to see people enjoy ideas they’ve never seen before.”

The SAGE Elevate Award, with a prize of $1,000 in legal services from SAGE partner and games industry specialist Cam Rogers Legal was awarded to The RnD Department for CUBE, a satisfying puzzle platformer where you guide a colourful cube through an evolving abstract landscape. 

The RnD Department is an indie games studio based in Adelaide, and developers Daniel D’Cruz and Rupert (Ru) McPharlin are developing CUBE for full release later in 2025.

Daniel D’Cruz and Rupert McPharlin said: “We are incredibly honoured to receive the SAGE Elevate award, as well as the vote of confidence from the industry panel. The most rewarding part of this journey is watching the joy that CUBE brings the kids that play it.”

SAGE Jury Chair, SAFC Game Development executive James O’Connor, said: “The judges were blown away by the standard and quality of games presented at SAGE this year. The creativity and innovation on display was outstanding, and represented the extraordinary breadth of talent in South Australia’s games sector, from solo indie developers right through to established studios.”

See the photos from the awards presentation – all photos by Naomi Jellicoe.

SAGE was bigger and better than ever in 2025, with two action packed days showcasing South Australian games ingenuity and innovation from a record 35 local studios and developers, including 14 exhibiting at SAGE for the first time, enhanced by a massive program of panel discussions featuring industry heavyweights.

Andrea Michaels MP, Minister for Arts said: “It’s incredible to see record attendances at this year’s SAGE with more than 3,000 people experiencing South Australia’s remarkable games industry. South Australia is home to brilliant creative minds and the level of interest in this year’s event is testament to the skill and success of our game developers.”

SAFC CEO Kate Croser said: “Now in its third year, the SAFC’s SAGE: SA Game Exhibition has become South Australia’s hottest event for game developers and fans alike, with thousands of people flocking to Adelaide Studios this weekend to see, play and experience what the state’s video game sector is all about.

“We were thrilled to see a record number of ‘SAGE-ers’ embrace the event this year, and the response to our expanded SAGE Advice panel discussions program was overwhelming, with most sessions reaching capacity.

“The SAFC is proud to be the state’s ‘all screen agency’, supporting and funding local video game development and production as part of our support for all segments of the state’s screen industry. The SAFC is committed to cementing the state’s reputation as a leading location for game development through initiatives such as our SA Video Game Development (VGD) Rebate and events like SAGE.

“Thank you to all our partners and sponsors who made SAGE bigger and better in 2025 and congratulations to Powerbomb Games and The RnD Department on their SAGE Awards.”

The SAGE fun will continue online after the event on the SAGE Steam event page, featuring a range of games from this year’s exhibitors for you to download and play. Plus, all SAGE Advice panel discussion sessions will be available for repeat viewing via the SAGE website and the SAFC’s Youtube channel, thanks to filming by SAGE Media Partner Channel 44. Check out www.sagameexhibition.com

Check out photos from the event below – all photos by Naomi Jellicoe.

Presented by the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) as part of the 2025 Adelaide Fringe Interactive program, SAGE is supported by Platinum Sponsor Big Ant Studios, and by Industry Partner Screen Australia through its Games Festivals and Events Fund, with support from State Government Partner Arts South Australia.

See some of the SAGE partners and exhibitors at the event – all photos by Naomi Jellicoe.

Downloads

• Download the full media release (364kb PDF)
• Download SAGE 2025 photos and video