PlaySide Studios is an Australian video game developer and publisher based in Port Melbourne, Victoria, founded in 2011 by Gerry Sakkas, Mark Goulopoulos, and Aaron Pasias. The studio began in mobile gaming before expanding into PC, console, and VR development. PlaySide is publicly listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and is one of Australia’s largest independent game developers. Their catalog spans original IP, licensed franchises, and work-for-hire projects including VR experiences for Meta Quest.
PlaySide’s early years were spent in mobile development, building a foundation through games like Catch the Ark and the Dumb Ways to Die series, which the studio acquired rights to in 2021. The Dumb Ways to Die franchise, originally a viral safety campaign from Metro Trains Melbourne, became one of PlaySide’s most commercially reliable properties across multiple mobile titles. The studio gradually expanded into PC and console development through work-for-hire contracts with major publishers including Disney, Warner Bros., and Activision, before building out its own original IP slate.
Age of Darkness: Final Stand is a real-time strategy survival game developed by Zugalu Entertainment and published by PlaySide, released into Steam Early Access in 2021 and receiving positive reviews for its horde defense mechanics and dark fantasy setting. Kill Knight is PlaySide’s own action shooter, a twin-stick shooter with a dark fantasy aesthetic published in 2024 that received strong reviews on Steam. MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is a noir-inspired first-person shooter with a 1930s cartoon visual style currently in development alongside the Game of Thrones project.
Game of Thrones: War for Westeros was announced at Summer Game Fest in June 2025, published by PlaySide with Warner Bros. Interactive. A classic real-time strategy game set in the Game of Thrones universe, it lets players command House Stark, House Lannister, House Targaryen, or the Night King across campaign and multiplayer modes. It is a PC exclusive releasing on Steam with a 2026 window, though as of mid-2026 no specific date has been announced and the game did not appear at Summer Game Fest 2026, leaving the exact timing uncertain.
A significant part of PlaySide’s business is work-for-hire development for major platforms and publishers. The studio has developed VR experiences for Meta Quest including Sid Meier’s Civilization VII VR and Horizon Worlds content, demonstrating technical range across platforms. This work-for-hire pipeline has provided financial stability that supports PlaySide’s original IP development alongside its licensed and publishing operations.