“Their rollback netcode made our fighting game feel instant even on interstate connections. Player complaints about lag dropped by 80% within a month of launch.”
Marcus T.
Executive Producer, Carlton
March 2025
Multiplayer game studio · Fitzroy, Melbourne
We build arenas players never want to log out of.
VirtualBattleStudio designs, engineers, and ships competitive multiplayer games — from rollback netcode to living worlds — for studios and publishers across Australia.
- 40ms
- Avg. rollback latency
- 12
- Titles shipped
- 4.9/5
- Client rating
Our story
A decade turning matches into memories
Founded in a converted warehouse off Brunswick Street, our team of engineers, artists, and competitive players has grown into one of Melbourne's most trusted independent game studios.
- 2014
First cabinet in Fitzroy
Two engineers and a prototype fighting game launched from a shared desk on Johnston Street, playtested nightly at the local arcade bar.
- 2017
Rollback netcode engine
We shipped our in-house deterministic netcode, cutting perceived latency below 40ms and earning our first publisher contract.
- 2020
Live-ops at scale
Our platform team began running seasonal live-ops for a 300,000-player arena title, with zero-downtime content drops every fortnight.
- 2024
Esports partnerships
VirtualBattleStudio became the official tournament tech partner for three ANZ competitive circuits, powering brackets, spectator tools, and anti-cheat.
What we do
End-to-end game development, under one glasshouse roof
Pick a single capability or hand us the whole project. Every engagement is led by a senior developer who stays with you from kick-off to launch day.
We architect authoritative servers, rollback and delta-compressed netcode, and matchmaking that holds steady under real tournament load. Typical engagement runs 12–20 weeks, from AU$48,000.
From core loop to ranked progression, our designers prototype in-engine and validate every mechanic with weekly playtests at our Fitzroy studio. Design sprints start at AU$9,500 per month.
Stylised or realistic — our art team delivers rigged characters, environment kits, and hit-feedback VFX optimised for 60fps on mid-range hardware. Asset packages from AU$6,200.
We keep launched titles healthy with seasonal content pipelines, telemetry dashboards, server-side anti-cheat, and Steam/console certification support. Retainers from AU$7,800 per month.
Before & after
From greybox to gold master
Drag the handle to see how our art and engineering teams transform an early prototype into a shippable, polished experience.
ShippedPrototype<>
Arena environment — greybox to final lighting pass
Reviews
Trusted by publishers and indie teams alike
“We handed VirtualBattleStudio a rough prototype and they returned a launch-ready title. The weekly Fitzroy playtests kept the whole team honest about what was actually fun.”
Priya S.
Indie Studio Lead, Collingwood
January 2025
“The live-ops pipeline they built lets us drop a new season every two weeks without downtime. Our retention curve has never looked healthier.”
Daniel K.
Head of Product, Richmond
November 2024
“Their anti-cheat and spectator tools carried our ANZ tournament circuit flawlessly across four events. Zero disputed matches all season.”
Ellie W.
Tournament Director, Brunswick
September 2024
Engagements
Clear scopes, no surprise invoices
Every plan includes a dedicated senior lead, weekly builds, and access to our Fitzroy playtest lab. Prices shown in Australian dollars, excluding GST.
Prototype
Validate the core loop
AU$9,500/ month
- Dedicated senior developer
- In-engine playable prototype
- Weekly build + playtest report
- 4–6 week sprint
- Source project handover
Full Production
Concept to launch build
AU$32,000/ month
- Cross-discipline team of 4–6
- Multiplayer netcode & servers
- 3D art, animation & VFX
- Fortnightly milestone reviews
- Store & console cert support
Live-Ops
Keep your title thriving
AU$7,800/ month
- Seasonal content pipeline
- Telemetry & balance dashboards
- Server-side anti-cheat
- On-call incident response
- Monthly rolling retainer
Contact
Tell us about your game
Drop by the studio on Johnston Street or send a brief below. We reply to every enquiry within one business day.
- Phone
- +61 3 9417 2204
- [email protected]
- Studio
- 72 Johnston Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065
- Studio hours
- Mon–Fri, 9:00am – 6:00pm AEST