Australian game development company Massive Monster has filed plans for Fitzroy’s Brunswick Street. The project encompasses two heritage-listed buildings, at 256 and 258 Brunswick Street, about 3km north-east of the Melbourne city centre, under the plans filed with the City of Yarra Council. The plans by architects Therefore include demolishing parts of the buildings and creating a four-storey block with roof terraces on the amalgamated 316sq m site. Just the rear portion of the buildings would be demolished with the facade retained and restored, including the removal of non-original components. The block would include a cafe, co-working and office spaces to create a gaming hub for Massive Monster and other game development companies. Massive Monster ’ s creative director, Julian Wilton, told The Urban Developer that the project came from a desire to create a co-working space that did not exist.  “There used to be a co-working space called The Arcade in South Melbourne,” Wilton said. “I think it got a bit bloated and, through Covid, it kind of shut down.”  In April 2024, Creative Victoria put a call out for proposals for a co-working hub for the games industry with a $2.5 million grant.  Wilton applied for the grant and estimates the entire project including acquisition of the two sites will cost $11 million to $12 million.  “It ’ s not super financially motivated but I think we ’ re just trying to create a cool space,” Wilton said. A dedicated streaming room, virtual reality and motion capture space, and environmentally conscious and sustainable features including solar panels and waste disposal are also part of the plans. The proposed hub, to be called MASS, would help make the City of Yarra a centre for the industry, the proposal argued. In the plans, Fontic has been named as a project-manager partner and Dimpat Residential has been named as the builder. If approval is granted before the end of the year, work on the site would being next year ahead of completion and launch in 2026. ▲ The rooftop has views towards the city centre and a terrace on it is part of the plans now before the council. CoreLogic property records show that 256 Brunswick Street was sold for $2.55 million in April, 2023 with settlement in July, 2023. Next door, 258 Brunswick Street was sold for $2.3 million in April this year ahead of settlement in May. The proposal argues that MASS will help create jobs within the growing video game industry and offer much-needed space at below-market rents to smaller game and software developers. There will also be collaboration with universities and institutions such as ACMI and mentorship and incubation programs. Victoria’s creative and economic screen development agency VicScreen will support the creation of such a hub, according to the proposal. Massive Monster also said in its proposal that it would help the redevelopment of Fitzroy’s Brunswick Street. The company is known for its hit game The Cult of The Lamb and was formed when the flash games industry ended in January, 2016 with many of its team members joining forces to develop games for other devices and consoles. “The game has made a lot of money—I think it ’ s really over 4 million units sold,” Wilton said.   “The idea is to create something to give back a little bit but it ’ s also an asset at the end of the day. “But the idea is to offer at cost space which would hopefully be subsidised by Creative Victoria.”
