Although still largely under wraps, the studio’s first large project was being developed in partnership "with a major international social media platform", with a scheduled release date in the third quarter this year, a statement said.
The launch of Mad Carnival has been spearheaded by Method’s managing director and prominent creative tech and diversity advocate Samantha Ramlu, who said it was testament to the traction CODE had gained in the industry over a short space of time.
With the vocational training pathways and collaborative local game development eco-system already in place, the company could see the potential to grow in Dunedin, knowing future employment needs could be fulfilled locally.
The Mad Carnival team already had three staff in the Dunedin office — one had come down from Auckland and the other two were recent graduates that had been hired — and the aim was to have six or more in place by the end of the year.
Ms Ramlu described CODE as a "fabulous" initiative. When it was first announced, she wondered why Dunedin was getting it, thinking "we need this in Auckland where we are".
But her attitude had changed. "Now I’m like nothing is stopping us from using this," she said.
It was also great to give opportunities to those in the South to stay in Dunedin to work.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern experienced some of the work being produced by Dunedin’s emerging studios during a visit to CODE headquarters at Petridish recently.
Ms Ramlu, who was also there, said she had some "valuable" conversations while in the city.
While gaming was about a $300billion industry worldwide, there was still a mentality that needed to change, she believed.
People still questioned whether it was "real", yet they looked at the likes of books and movies and saw them as legitimate forms of entertainment, so there was still a long way to go.
Mad Carnival was focused on "games for everyone" and Ms Ramlu would love to see more diversity in content.
CODE launched in earnest almost two years ago under the guidance of Enterprise Dunedin, the Dunedin City Council’s economic development agency and Kanoa, the Government’s regional economic development and investment unit.
Dunedin Mayor Aaron Hawkins said it was exciting to witness the ongoing development of the sector in Dunedin.
“As a result of CODE we are already attracting small, medium and mature entrepreneurs to the city,” he said.
Round 4 of CODE funding was under way and closes in April.
