‘Bluey’s Quest for the Gold Pen’ Marks a Turning Point for Australian Game Development
A new era has dawned for video game adaptations of the globally beloved children’s show, Bluey, with the release of Bluey’s Quest for the Gold Pen. After a series of disappointing mobile game releases, the latest installment, developed by an Australian studio, is being hailed as the first to truly capture the heart and quality of the original series.
For years, the potential of the Bluey franchise in the gaming world remained largely untapped. Early attempts, like Budge Studios’ 2023 mobile game Bluey: Let’s Play!, raised concerns among parents due to its $9.99 monthly subscription and frequent advertisements for other licensed games. Later that year, Artax Games’ Bluey: The Videogame faced widespread criticism for its short playtime – barely two hours – technical issues, and a $60 price tag. One Australian game critic described it as “a slapdash cash grab that does the bare minimum.” Even StoryToys’s Lego Bluey, released in August, relied on a subscription model. All three were commissioned by BBC Studios, which co-commissions the show with ABC and manages international merchandising and licensing.
However, Bluey’s Quest for the Gold Pen represents a significant departure. Commissioned by BBC Studios and developed in Brisbane by Bluey creator Joe Brumm and Halfbrick Studios – the team behind Fruit Ninja – it is the first Bluey game created in Australia, the first to directly involve Brumm, and is expected to be the final original Bluey story from him until the planned 2027 movie.
Early impressions of Halfbrick’s take on Bluey are overwhelmingly positive. Players report that the game feels like a fully realized experience, with an estimated completion time of around 10 hours. The game is an adventure in which Bluey and Bingo pursue their father, Bandit, through a series of magical artworks after he playfully steals their pen. The gameplay emphasizes curiosity, exploration, and the creative use of Bluey’s magic wand, while the narrative, penned by Brumm, features Chilli and Bandit discussing the pitfalls of “lawnmower parenting” as they design the game’s levels.
“Bluey is so daggy; it’s very Brisbane… you can only truly replicate and extend into the games world if you really understand those nuances,” explained Joey Egger, head of games at Screen Australia.
Shainiel Deo, chief executive of Halfbrick Studios, was a natural fit to lead the project. Having collaborated with Brumm on the game Dan the Man in 2016, and with Halfbrick games having been played by hundreds of millions globally, Deo pitched BBC Studios when he learned of the opportunity. While acknowledging that other Bluey games were already in development, Deo expressed his belief that an Australian developer should have been involved from the start.
From the outset, Halfbrick prioritized delivering a high-quality experience. “This game will be ready when it’s ready,” Deo recalls telling BBC decision-makers. The studio assumed all financial risks, but Deo was determined to create a game that did justice to the Bluey brand. He insisted on a flexible timeline to allow for thorough exploration and prototyping.
The team’s dedication to capturing the essence of Bluey and its Brisbane setting proved crucial. “They take a lot of pride in being the first Australian team to work on a Bluey game,” Deo stated. This success comes as a welcome boost for the Australian games industry, following the global success of Hollow Knight: Silksong, which briefly crashed online storefronts in September. Despite recent layoffs, Australian developers have long argued for greater opportunities to work on major homegrown intellectual property. Currently, no Australian developer has released a Mad Max game, and even a Neighbours racing game was developed in the UK.
Jason Imms, a fellow Australian developer and head of quality assurance at Keywords Studios, believes leveraging local talent for Bluey was a logical decision. “While the BBC owed nothing to Australia, taking advantage of the local talent that birthed Bluey was a no-brainer,” he said. He expressed his satisfaction that a respected Queensland developer like Halfbrick was given the opportunity. “We have so few homegrown franchises, and so few opportunities to play with Australian IP in games. Bluey is such a special thing, with such broad reach. It speaks to an Australiana that other Australian media really hasn’t been able to deliver to the rest of the world.”
Egger echoed this sentiment, highlighting the importance of authentically representing Bluey’s “unique Australian-ness.” “It’s so daggy. It’s got all the nuances; it’s very Brisbane,” she said. “It’s something you can only truly replicate and extend into the games world if you really understand those nuances.” She added that today’s youth consume content across multiple platforms, and a beloved IP like Bluey will naturally extend into gaming.
The development of Bluey’s Quest for the Gold Pen also reflects a conscious ethical decision. Halfbrick Studios, having previously experimented with “freemium” and subscription models, opted for a one-time-purchase “premium” model reminiscent of the early 2000s. “We don’t want to put people on a treadmill where they have to keep grinding to get stuff or pay,” Deo explained. “Ethics is important for me.”
Imms, whose children quickly lost interest in Bluey: The Videogame, believes developers have a responsibility to provide children with quality experiences. “Do kids deserve better? Of course they do. You could argue they need it more than we do because they’re still growing; they’re still shaping their understanding of the world. Stories that teach them about kindness and care, love and hardship – all those good things that Bluey teaches – are going to be beneficial for them.”
Bluey’s Quest for the Gold Pen isn’t just a win for Australian game development; it’s a testament to the power of prioritizing quality, authenticity, and ethical design when creating experiences for young audiences.
