Victoria is Australia’s creative industries capital. Creative industries contribute more than $40 billion annually to Victoria’s economy, including through exports and cultural tourism, and employ around 9 per cent of the State’s workforce across visual and performing arts, screen, digital games, music, design, architecture, fashion, literature publishing, and more. Creative industries are considered one of the world’s fastest growing sectors and are predicted to account for 10 percent of global GDP before 2030.
China’s creative industries sector is poised for significant growth over the next decade, driven by robust government support, technological advancements, and evolving consumer preferences. China’s entertainment and media industry, including video games and e-sports, is projected to reach almost US$480 billion in total revenue by 2027, and continues to grow faster than the global average. The Chinese box office also routinely breaks records and in 2025, the Chinese animated film Ne Zha 2, created in Victoria’s sister-state of Sichuan Province, became the highest-grossing animated film of all time.
Victoria is a premier destination for film and television. Known for its industry capabilities in visual effects and post-production, our screen sector contributes over $3 billion annually to Victoria’s economy. Docklands Studios Melbourne is a state-of-the-art studio precinct and home to the world’s largest virtual production facility, while the Melbourne International Film Festival is one of the world’s oldest film festivals, showcasing more than 200 films annually, attracting an audience of more than 160,000 in 2024.
Victoria and China’s screen industries are already collaborating. Under the 2007 Australia-China Film Co-Production Agreement, more than $4.3 million has already been invested in co-productions since its signing. While the number of foreign films allowed for theatrical release each year are limited, co-productions with Victorian filmmakers are treated as domestic films and exempt from this quota, allowing better reach to Chinese audiences. Successful Victoria-China co-productions include The Whistleblower and The Longest Shot. Other projects like Blacklight and Better Man – the largest movie ever filmed in Victoria – were produced with financing from Chinese company Sina Studios.
China is one the largest global markets for digital games, with US$42.6 billion in revenue and 668 million digital games players recorded in 2023. With the advent of ‘mini-games’ embedded in mobile apps like WeChat, China’s gaming industry continues to experience rapid growth, offering new opportunities to partner with innovative Victorian developers.
Victoria leads Australia’s digital games industry, with a mature and diverse game development sector. We are home to major international subsidiaries, such as Sledgehammer Games, Keywords, and Electronic Arts, and globally recognised independent developers including Beethoven and Dinosaur, Summerfall Studios, and House House. Melbourne International Games Week and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image are major features of Victoria’s diverse digital games ecosystem, showcasing the cultural and economic impact of games to a global audience.
Victoria’s creative industries:
- Contribute $40b annually to Victoria’s economy
- Employs around 9% of the State’s workforce
- China’s entertainment and media industry projected to reach almost US$480b in total revenue by 2027
- China is one of the largest global markets for digital games with US$42.6b in revenue in 2023.
Victoria and China share strengths in the design sector. More than 195,000 people in Victoria are employed in the design industry, which contributes around $7 billion annually to the Victorian economy. China is home to five UNESCO Cities of Design, with its proud and long history of design complementing modern expertise and innovation. Victoria is home to Australia’s first and only UNESCO City of Design – Geelong – and in 2021, our design capabilities were showcased in our sister-state of Jiangsu at Suzhou Design Week through the Victorian Sustainable Design Showcase.
Victoria is Australia’s sporting capital, known for its sporting culture, major event expertise, and industry capabilities across the sports ecosystem. Victoria has over 50 professional sports teams and is home to more than 30 of Australia’s leading national sporting organisations, including Tennis Australia, Swimming Australia, Athletics Australia, Basketball Australia, Table Tennis Australia, and the Australian Football League.
Victoria has an internationally recognised major sporting events calendar that leverages our comprehensive network of stadia, arenas, high-performance facilities, world-class sports and entertainment precincts, and community sport facilities. Melbourne has six international- standard sports venues in the heart of the city, including the 100,000 seat Melbourne Cricket Ground and is the only city in the world to host a tennis Grand Slam and a Formula 1 Grand Prix. Melbourne is also home to eight of Australia’s best golf courses, collectively known as the ‘Sandbelt’, and will host the Presidents Cup for a fourth and fifth time in 2028 and 2040. Victoria’s annual Spring Racing Carnival showcases our world-class racing credentials, anchored by the Melbourne Cup – one of the world’s most renowned annual horse races.
Victoria’s thriving sport ecosystem drives advancements in SportsTech and innovation. Victoria is leading the nation in SportsTech, home to over 320 (almost 40 per cent) of Australia’s SportsTech businesses. Innovation clusters include the Victoria University Institute for Health and Sport, La Trobe University Sport Performance Hub, Deakin Centre for Sport Research, the Australian Sports Technology Network, and the Victorian Institute of Sport. In 2024, three Victorian education institutions were ranked in the top ten globally for sports science, including Deakin University (1), Victoria University (7) and La Trobe University (8).
China’s sports industry is rapidly growing, with production value expected to reach almost US$700 billion by 2025. Victoria’s comprehensive sport ecosystem, world-class sports industry capabilities and major events expertise make Victoria an ideal partner of choice for reciprocal partnerships and business collaborations.
- Victoria is Australia’s sporting capital, with Melbourne the only city in the world to host both a tennis Grand Slam and a Formula 1 Grand Prix
- Three Victorian education institutions in the Top 10 globally for sports science
- China’s sports industry sector value is expected to reach US$700b by 2025
Case Studies
Better Man
Released in 2024, the Robbie Williams biopic, Better Man, was a partnership between Docklands Studios Melbourne and Sina Studios – a Chinese film studio specialising in investing and producing international films.
The film was directed by Victoria’s Michael Gracey, and the Academy Award-winning Wētā FX provided VFX in Victoria and established a permanent Australian base shortly afterwards. The film created almost 3,000 jobs for Victorians, and injected $142 million into the State’s economy.
Better Man would go on to win nine AACTA Awards in 2025 and a swathe of international nominations, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects and a BAFTA nomination for Best Special Visual Effects.
Qingci Games
Qingci Games is a leading game developer and publisher in China. In 2025, it established the digital games studio UltraPlayers in Victoria as part of its global footprint. UltraPlayers, located on Collins Street in the heart of Melbourne, aims to provide localised developing and publishing services worldwide for its games, catering to the diverse needs of players around the world.
As Australia’s digital gaming hub with the most studios and largest games workforce in the country, Victoria is an attractive destination for Chinese companies looking to innovate through international partnerships.
Goals and Actions
Goal 1 | Goal 2 |
Victoria’s creative and sport industries benefit from enhanced market access opportunities | Victoria is a partner of choice for collaboration with Chinese counterparts across sport, content, products, and services |
Action 1 | Action 2 | Action 3 |
Promote and build demand for Victorian creative and sport industry capability and content | Strengthen connections and opportunities for creative and sporting institutions, organisations and businesses | Support Victorian creative and sports industries with regulatory and market readiness |
Updated