From Twitter quip to Summer Games Fest debut: How Frosty Games Fest surpassed all expectations
The ANZ showcase's long-term goal was joining the global games event. It happened in under a year.
Like most of the best things on the internet, it began both as a joke and as a social media post.
Amy Potter-Jarman, former Twitch APAC Marketing Director, was mucking around on Twitter (now known as X) last June when she said Australia should host its own 'Winter Games Fest' where we talk about games while drinking hot chocolate. She was riffing off the success of the Summer Game Fest, a June event that has grown to fill the void left by the disappearance of E3 — formerly the world's largest gaming event.
The joke was apparent, but the idea had legs. Pritika Sachdev, a social media manager and communications consultant, chimed in and said she'd be the first to volunteer to make it happen. Others voiced similar sentiments. The post was liked 54 times.
Potter-Jarman concluded the thread saying: "y'know i think i'm crazy enough that i might actually do it."
A year later, not only did Potter-Jarman do it, but both she and the team behind the event managed to achieve every stretch goal imaginable.
The event received federal government funding from Screen Australia, amassed showcases from over 50 Australian and New Zealand games, and, almost ironically, secured a slot in the global Summer Game Fest lineup.
A quick primer on showcases and Summer Game Fest
Popularised by Nintendo's Direct streams, showcases are video presentations that combine trailers from a number of new games, providing a platform for promoting all of them at once. They are typically online-only events that are supported by content creators on Twitch and YouTube, who either run commentary streams on them or participate in the stream itself.
It's a format that's unique to the gaming industry and serves as a key means for discovering games, given hundreds come out every year, distilling a firehose of game marketing content into something easy to consume.
Founded by former games journalist and TV host Geoff Keighley — who also runs The Game Awards in December — Summer Game Fest has grown to host showcases from all of the major players in the industry, including Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. The trio used to host their own live-stage presentations on upcoming games at E3 — formerly the world's largest gaming industry expo.
The need for regional representation
While the tweet served as the thought-bubble that sparked Frosty Games Fest, Potter-Jarman says the event only works because there's a genuine demand for it.
"Our region is so underrepresented globally — especially during big showcases like Summer Game Fest," she told Infinite Lives.
It was a combination of "luck and persistence" that got Frosty Games Fest in front of Geoff Keighley's team at Summer Game Fest.
After a few direct approaches failed, Potter-Jarman managed to secure an introduction through mutual connections running other showcases for the event. Once through the door, it wasn't a hard sell.
In fact, one of the goals for Summer Game Fest this year — which typically consists of a number of online gaming showcases — was to better coordinate all the individual events to create a smooth, clash-free event for those interested in seeing as many game trailers as possible.
Ahead of partnering with Summer Game Fest, Frosty Games Fest was planning to run during the week of it regardless.
It helps, however, that there's a prevailing sentiment in the US that games from the ANZ region punch above their weight.
Not only has this been a recurring theme in US games media, but the ongoing fixation on local mega hits such as Hollow Knight and Untitled Goose Game has served to sharpen interest in the local industry.
Yet, of the over 14,000 games released on Steam in 2024, less than 100 were created in Australia, demonstrating the immense challenge the industry faces in helping its titles stand out amid a growing global pool of games.
Pulling Frosty Games Fest together
Despite the mammoth effort involved, pulling together Frosty Games Fest was a side hustle for Potter-Jarman and her three co-founders. Impressively, the four of them — including graphic and game artist Lucy Mutimer, freelance writer Kieron Verbrugge, and MYOB social media coordinator Pritika Sachdev — all worked on the event while holding down other roles.
It helps, however, that those supporting the event, including Screen Australia and Summer Game Fest itself, had straightforward application processes. "It was a form — questions about our team, the vision, where we were in the process, and what the showcase would look like. No big deck or trip to LA boardrooms," Potter-Jarman says of Summer Game Fest’s process.
The showcase also secured funding for the event via Screen Australia's Games Festival and Events fund.
"I did have to start a company, and that part was awful," Potter-Jarman adds. "But that's not their fault."
In addition to significant Australian games media coverage, over 100 local — and a handful of international — content creators have requested assets from the Frosty Games Fest to use as part of their streams.
The future of Frosty Games Fest
Despite the success it's seen to date, and meeting all of its long-term goals within eight months of launch, Potter-Jarman's waiting to see how the event goes before committing to a second Frosty Games Fest.
"People are already asking if it's happening again next year — and we'd love to! But I don't want to get ahead of myself," Potter-Jarman says.
"Before committing, I want feedback. Was it meaningful to developers? Did it resonate with viewers? I've done everything I can to make it effective, but until we know if it worked, I can't say for sure."
Whether or not Frosty Games Fest returns next year, Potter-Jarman has already made her mark in improving to overall visibility of the ANZ games scene.
Sometimes, all it takes is a tweet.
The Frost Games Fest will stream on YouTube and Twitch on June 8 AEST.
Australia: 9am AEST
New Zealand: 11am NZST (June 8)
US: 4pm PDT | 7pm EDT (June 7)
UK: 12am BST (June 8)
Will you tune into the Frosty Games Fest? What do you think about ANZ games in general? Or about the Summer Games Fest? Let me know in the comments.
Amy deserves so much spotlight! Such a great person and doing cool things
Wow. Cool event! I'll be looking into the NZ contingent. Thanks for showcasing this!