Inaugural Melbourne International Games Week expected to attract 55,000 visitors

By Annabel Ross
Updated November 7 2015 - 10:08am, first published August 21 2015 - 4:58pm

Gamers, rejoice. On Friday morning, Victoria's Creative Industries Minister Martin Foley announced the program for the inaugural Melbourne International Games Week, running from October 23 to November 1. The event, expected to bring 55,000 visitors to the city, kicks off with a 48-hour "More Personal Computing" hackathon at Swinburne University and will culminate in PAX AUS, a major international games festival held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. "Melbourne International Games Week is a celebration of a strong sector of our creative industries that contributes significantly to the state's economy," said Foley at the event launch at The Arcade, Australia's games development hub in Southbank. The announcement coincides with the international launch of Pac-Man 256, the new mobile Pac-Man game developed by Victorian gaming company Hipster Whale in collaboration with Bandai Namco​, the Japanese gaming giant that created the original Pac-Man. Hipster Whale is currently one of the hottest companies in gaming, having also developed Crossy Road, a mobile game that has been downloaded more than 100 million times since its launch last November.

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