Aussie gaming studio takes on big new project set in the world of Game of Thrones

Video games have come a long way since Pac-Man and Pong.

Today's gaming world sees multi-million dollar blockbusters with star studded casts. Yet right here in Australia, one studio is taking the global gaming world by storm.

At its helm is a local talent whose journey is as epic as the games he helps create.

Ryan McMahon is the General Manager of PC and Console Games at PlaySide Studios in Melbourne. His passion for gaming started young - so young, in fact, he decided traditional schooling wasn't for him.

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"I knew I wanted to make games pretty early. I actually ended up dropping out of school to do it," Ryan told A Current Affair.

That bold decision paid off. Ryan is now directing a brand-new video game set in the highly anticipated world of Game of Thrones.

"To work on an IP like Game of Thrones in Australia as an Australian studio, is a really rare opportunity, and something that everyone the studio is really excited to do and bring to life," he said.

"It's a massive deal. It takes a lot of hard work, and also a lot to build that trust that as an Australian game developer, we have the capabilities to be able to build something of that magnitude," he said.

PlaySide Studios, originally founded by just three people in 2011, has grown exponentially.

CEO Benn Skender shared the company expanded from around 70 staff in 2020 to 265 dedicated staff today, making them Australia's largest video games developer.

"Video games are really about bringing the cutting edge of technology into the home as an entertainment product. So they not only need to be highly technical, but also demonstrate high degrees of creativity and innovation to be successful," he said.

PlaySide's success has even seen them listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.

Gamers may recognise PlaySide's work through their Dumb Ways To Die mobile games, or more recently the likes of Kill Knight and Age of Darkness: Final Stand.

This year, gamers can also look forward to Playside's Mouse: P.I. for Hire, a noir styled first-person action game.

Though as keen as gamers are to get their hands on Game of Thrones: War on Westeros, Ryan stresses that these projects aren't rushed.

"A game is ready when it's ready, it's really about finding the fun and making sure it's something that resonates with players."

A recent trailer created by Goodbye Kansas in Sweden helped share the news of PlaySide's upcoming Game of Thrones game.

We can look out for more information about the game in 2026.

Ron Curry, CEO of the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA), says so much more goes into making games than meets the eye.

"A game isn't just made by a coder. We've got musicians, we've got people who write the scripts... a lot of people go into making a game."

With Australians spending approximately $4 billion a year on games, and over 80 per cent of the population playing, the industry's local growth is clear.

From playing Tekken as a two-year-old to leading a huge team creating a Game of Thrones title, Ryan McMahon's journey is a testament to passion meeting opportunity.

"I get to come to work and work with really creative people, make games and play games for a living. Like, what's not to love? It's a dream job," he said.

With PlaySide Studios setting new paths on the global stage, it's clear the future for Australian game developers is incredibly bright.