Pro Jank Footy, a comedy video game reimagining Australian rules football, launches globally
Consensus Summary
Pro Jank Footy is a comedy video game reimagining Australian rules football with absurd, ever-changing rules, launched globally in August. Created by David Ashby, the game blends footy’s quirks with surreal power-ups like meat pies with legs and a Ford Falcon power-up, inspired by 1990s video game aesthetics. Teams are named after South Australian suburbs, and the game features 18 players a side, as confirmed by both sources. Broden Kelly recorded extensive commentary, with discrepancies in whether it took four hours or four to five hours, and whether it was 1,200 lines or two to three thousand lines repeated. The game debuted at exhibitions in 2025 and is designed as a couch co-op experience, with arcade cabinets installed in Melbourne pubs. Ashby and Kelly emphasize the game’s cultural significance, aiming to showcase Australia’s unique identity through humor and absurdity.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- The game features 18 players a side
- Pro Jank Footy was exhibited at an event in 2025
- Broden Kelly recorded 1,200 lines of commentary for the game
- The game includes absurd power-ups like 'Meat pies with legs' and 'Dad’s Car'
- David Ashby is the creator of Pro Jank Footy and previously worked on Italian Spider-Man and Danger 5
- The game is set to release on August 13 in Australia
- The game’s aesthetic is inspired by 1990s video games, including cartoon mascots and a 'seizure-inducing vibe'
- The game’s teams are named after South Australian suburbs, such as Ceduna Doonas and Port Noarlunga Chips
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The game’s development began after a fantasy footy barbecue in 2024
- Pro Jank Footy won best in exhibition at the South Australian Games Exhibition in 2025
- Kelly recorded commentary in four hours, describing it as 'the worst day of my life'
- The game includes a power-up called 'Sore Neck' and 'Where’s the Remote'
- Ashby is 39 years old
- The game’s release is on August 13 in Australia and August 12 globally
- The game is designed as a couch co-op experience
- The game’s music and team songs were written by Dario Russo
- The game’s arcade cabinet is installed at Melbourne’s Great Northern Hotel
- The game’s development team is based in Adelaide
- The game was exhibited at SXSW Sydney in 2025
- Kelly recorded commentary in four to five straight hours, repeating two to three thousand lines three times
- The game’s arcade cabinets are installed in the Great Northern Hotel (Carlton North) and the Victoria Hotel (Brunswick)
- The cabinets include an embedded FM transmitter broadcasting commentary across the pub
- The game’s aesthetic draws on 1960s-style cult Australian TV shows
- Ashby previously wrote the 2007 short-film parody Italian Spiderman
- The game’s development took 12 months after initial discussions
Where the reporting differs
Details that conflict, or appear in only some outlets:
- The Guardian states the game’s commentary was recorded in four hours, while ABC says it took four to five straight hours
- The Guardian mentions the game’s release is on August 13 in Australia and August 12 globally, while ABC only specifies August 13 in Australia
- The Guardian says Kelly recorded 1,200 lines, while ABC says he recorded two to three thousand lines three times
Source Articles
‘People in Japan thought we made footy up’: Pro Jank Footy, the video game taking Australian rules to the world
Game developer David Ashby and Aunty Donna’s Broden Kelly talk about their chaotic and silly sport game – involving meat pies with legs and Ford Falcons on the oval Try explaining Australian rules football to anyone outside Australia, and “it sounds like you’re making it up,” says David Ashby, the multi-hyphenate comedic mind behind deeply silly spoofs such as Italian Spider-Man and Danger 5. “Eighteen players a side, running around on a cricket oval with a rugby ball that has to be bounced ever
The absurdity of Aussie rules football inspires new comedy video game
Mixing 1990s-era gameplay aesthetics with silly power-ups, Pro Jank Footy has fun with a national obsession.
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