Our story
Salty Games was born from the enduring partnership and shared vision of CJ and Nathan, whose paths initially crossed through their respective businesses in Katherine, NT.
Bonded by their mutual passion for video gaming and after years of collaboration in the business world, they decided to pivot towards their true calling in the video game industry.
Nathan, with his programming skills and creative mindset, and CJ, driven by a newfound desire to bring their dream to life, co-founded Salty Games in July 2022, in Darwin. This venture aims to harness the local talent pool, promoting trust, openness, and community, with the ambitious goal of establishing a lasting gaming industry in the Northern Territory.
The founders
Nathan Groves
Creative Director
Nathan grew up in the Northern Territory and spent most of his holidays on cattle properties with his dad and sister. All of Nathan’s family on his dad’s side work in the cattle industry in some shape or form. It’s very fitting that Nathan’s passion for computers and life experience have overlapped to create Salty Games first title: Pasture.
Nathan is a true leader in all phases of a project from the creative planning to release, spending time working behind the scenes with his teams.
Chas (CJ) Cole
Managing Director
Chas, or CJ as he is better known, is a hands-on manager, who is involved in all facets of running his successful civil construction company of over 12 years.
CJ is involved in every step of each project from the tendering stage to the planning & execution, including working hands-on with teams on the ground.
His experience with diverse projects has given CJ comprehensive management & team building skills which enable him to deliver high quality projects from concept & development to completion.
CJ has now taken the exciting bold next step to pursue a childhood dream of working in the video game industry.
CJ's passion for video games developed when ‘Uncle Mark’ introduced him to Star Control II in 1995 @ 10 years young. He has always been a curious tinkerer and started messing with C+, Visual Basic, Coral Draw and hardware components by age 13.
Privileged growing up in the most beautiful, remote part of Australia (Nhulunbuy, NT), this had one draw back. Unfortunately, it meant that Software and Hardware educational opportunities were non existent for students and their career dreams.
Now taking matters into his own hands, CJ is on a mission to create these opportunities for younger generations to come.
Nathan helping his dad on a cattle station
Nathan getting ready to go mustering
Nathan getting ready to go mustering
CJ (second from the left) feeding the family buffalos
CJ (first on the left) returning from a fishing trip on the Daly River
CJ standing next to the family donkey (ironically, his name was Nathan!!)
Our team
We’re grateful for the talented team behind our studio, whose skills and dedication are shaping our very first game. With extensive experience in simulator software and animal behaviour—including technology that models the behaviour of large herds—we’re able to simulate complex systems with realism and depth, creating engaging and believable experiences for our players.
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David McIntosh (Macca)
Game Designer
25+ years in the videogame industry, focussing on design and quality assurance
Over 100 shipped games across all major platforms, including major licenses such as Scooby-Doo, Paw Patrol, and How to Train Your Dragon
Budding jackaroo with a strong appreciation for Australia’s farming community
Folk music enthusiast with a particular passion for the hurdy-gurdy!
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Simon Stevenson
Technical Lead
Programming in C++/C# for over 20 years, low level programming, graphics, performance
Senior Programmer for Eco @ Strange Loop Games
Engine Programmer for Game Room Live @ Krome Studios
Programmer for Destroy All Humans! 1 and 2 @ Pandemic Studios
Diploma of Software Development specialising in games @ Qantm college (2002) -
David Hestelow
Junior Programmer
Junior programmer @ Salty Games since January 2023
Bachelor of Science in Games Development at University of Technology Sydney (2020–2022)
23.63 days played on Minecraft… and counting! -
Robert Mangano
Art Lead
Artist in the game design industry for 18 years
Experience includes concept art, illustration, 3D modelling, sculpting, texturing
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Toby
Technical Artist
Bachelors degree 3D modelling (VFX, Animation) @ SAE
Video editor and VFX Artist @ Halfbrick
Tech Lead for Unreal Live Compositing project @ Synctum
Art Team Lead & Technical Artist @ Strange Loop Games
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Jordan Alty
Marketing
After a decade of experience working with games publishing teams big and small to launch their games across Australia & New Zealand.
I’m excited to be working with such a passionate Aussie team to bring an Australian story to the world. -
Obo Groves
Chief Woofer
Doesn’t know much about games, but always willing to lend a paw!
