ALLY MCLEAN HENNESSY

Contact  

I make videogames, draw and write.

I like to work on lots of different things, feel free to reach out.

See some of my portfolio below. 

If you’d like to see just art, go to ally-hennessy-art.com
SUNGIRL FEAST OF TERMINALIA - EXHIBITION In 2025 my sculpture and textile work was showcased in a solo exhibition at the you’re okay gallery by Brand X.

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SUNGIRL FEAST OF TERMINALIA is a collection of works in the SUNGIRL UNIVERSE.

Celestial creatures gather to celebrate Terminalia, an ancient Roman festival in honour of the god Terminus, who presided over boundaries.

About the gallery:
you're okay by Brand X is an art activation space in the foyer and front window of the City of Sydney Creative Studios. The space brings contemporary and experimental digital, performance, and installation art directly to Sydney's CBD footpath and the daily city commuters.

Showcasing local, national, and the studio's in-residence talent, you're okay offers uncommon and unconventional art to take you out of your everyday.

Exhibition Photos: Jacquie Manning


Category
Exhibition, Art, Sculpture, Textile


YAPPING From time to time I enjoy public speaking. If you’d like me to come and have a yap with you please don’t hesitate!

Some highlights:
Devcom, Cologne where I spoke about the films of William Freidkin, and how his perspective on filmmaking has informed my game making practice. 
ALT GAMES where I gave the keynote address for the brand new games festival in Sydney.
Serenade Games where I spoke about  the Dream Ballet and how  it can be utilised to expand storytelling in games.
TEDx Sydney where I spoke about millennial burnout, and the pressure to self-optimise.
SXSW Sydney where I spoke about fostering your inner artist in a commercial space.
Creative Mornings where I spoke about the way independent game makers are broadening the definitions of what games can be.
Vivid Sydney where I spoke about the ways women are placed into competition over collaboration.


Category
Public Speaking, Keynote Speaker, saying things I lay in bed at night ten years later and wonder why I said them

ART


 
I am a multi-disciplinary artist, I make work that explores the intersections of femininity, pop-culture and technology.

My work has been shown in galleries and museums, and I’ve also collaborated with brands on artwork for products and packaging, worked with recording artists on album art, and created editorial illustrations for publications.

I’m always interested in new projects and opportunities to create artwork, so please feel free to contact me directly if you’d like to make something together!

You can see my art portfolio at Ally McLean Hennesy Art
Category
Art


MYSTIQUES HAUNTED ANTIQUES
IN DEVELOPMENT - (Publishers say hi please)
I’m the Game Director and Writer of MYSTIQUES HAUNTED ANTIQUES. It’s a haunted antiquing game about the four worst women you’ve ever met.

MYSTIQUES won the SXSW Sydney People’s Choice Award.

I’m working on this project at Lemonade Games, a studio I co-founded with Inge Berman and Adam Matthews.

‘The worst women you’ve ever met running a failing antique store’: uncanny adventure Mystiques: Haunted Antiques | Games | The Guardian

Local Spotlight: Become An Insufferable Woman And Make Bank Off The Dead In Mystiques (kotaku.com.au)

SXSW Sydney 2024 Highlight - Mystiques: Haunted Antiques - Checkpoint

Sydney game developers are getting weird, despite the risks (gameshub.com)
Category
Game Development

PRODUCTION & CONSULTANCY
Ongoing
For teams and projects I love I sometimes do some freelance or part-time production and consulting work.
The game companies I’ve worked with include GUCK, THE VOXEL AGENTS, and STUDIO FOLLY.
I also provide freelance work for VICSCREEN, Screen NSW and Screen West advising on funding strategy, community consultation and assessing digital games grant applications.

Titles I have worked on in this capacity:
GUBBINS
HIDDEN MEMORIES OF THE GARDENS BETWEEN
BLAKTASIA

Category
Consulting & Production Support




SOLIUM INFERNUM
22–02–24 
Solium Infernum is a strategy game set in hell, developed by League of Geeks. It was called “The best new strategy game in years” by PCGamesN. It was the 2nd highest rated strategy game globally in 2024.

I was the Executive Producer for part of the project and Production Director for part of the project, working with one of Australia’s most iconic and beloved independent game teams at League of Geeks.

Solium Infernum review – the best new strategy game in years (pcgamesn.com)

The best games of 2024 : NPR

7 Games That Are The Dark Souls Of Their Genres

Solium Infernum wins inaugural Screen Music Award for Interactive Media

The Best Video Games of 2024 So Far (at Midyear) - Metacritic

Solium Infernum is what happens when devils play the game of thrones - Video Games on Sports Illustrated

The Best Video Games of 2024
Category
Game Development


FREAKON  
10-23 
FREAKON is a 100% free game dev community conference I help run with some friends. It is a cathartic place for game makers to talk about the reality of game development. FREAKON has strict rules of no recording or posting the contents of the conference.

We have now run the event at maximum capacity for two years (with no leaks).
Category
Community



FREAKON FILM FESTIVAL
2024
I curated and hosted FREAKON FILM FESTIVAL in 2024. Game developers and artists produced original short films using video game footage, and the films were screened as the closing event of FREAKON 2024.

You can find the selected shorts that won the Golden Freak here:
A City I Once Knew - YouTube
Big fcking truck go down hill

Category
I Love Movies So Much 

RUMU
13–12–17
RUMU is a game about a vacuum cleaner who has feelings and loves mess. It won an Australian Writer’s Guild Award and an AGDA, and was displayed at ACMI, Australia's national museum of screen culture.

I was the Gamerunner and worked alongside a beautiful team of developers at Robot House.

Rumu combines some superb character work and heady sci-fi themes into a heart-wrenching story about love, family, and loneliness.  - Gamespot

Grown-up stories in games | ACMI: Your museum of screen culture
Rumu Reviews - OpenCritic

Category
Game Development


NEXT EXHIBIT
2017-2018
NEXT Exhibit was a showcase of games made by underrepresented developers in the main concourse of PAX Australia. Our goal was to bring games made by diverse teams to the highest foot traffic area of the biggest consumer games event in the southern hemisphere (and we did it. Twice.)

I was the curator of the exhibit and managed the event alongside Liam Esler. I designed and managed construction of the exhibitions, as well as securing sponsors and managing publicity for the event.

NEXT is an exhibit featuring the world's most diverse games | Mashable
Category
Community