Australian studio Salty Games has named Orange Line as its digital media and creative agency of record, aiming to scale its debut title Pasture: The Livestock Simulator and strengthen its global brand presence. The partnership focuses on full-funnel creative, performance media, and community-driven growth built around the studio’s authentic, outback-inspired gaming identity.
In a move that signals its intent to evolve from a promising indie studio into a globally recognised gaming brand, Australian developer Salty Games has appointed Orange Line as its digital media and creative agency of record. The announcement, made in Sydney on November 20, 2025, marks a major milestone for the Northern Territory–born studio as it prepares to scale its signature blend of rugged storytelling, authentic cultural flavour and gaming innovation to a broader audience.
Salty Games, founded by game-makers Nathan Groves and Chas “CJ” Cole, has quickly emerged as one of Australia’s most distinctive new voices in interactive entertainment. The pair, both originally from the Northern Territory, have channelled their lived experiences of outback life into Pasture: The Livestock Simulator — a debut title that has earned attention for its realism, world-building and unique approach to genre. Unlike the glossy, city-centric narratives that dominate global gaming pipelines, Pasture offers players an immersion into the grit, beauty and unpredictability of rural Australia, placing them in the boots of characters whose challenges mirror the rhythms of livestock management, environmental extremes and the quiet resilience of remote communities. It is a game that feels simultaneously local and universal, crafted with the specificity of northern Australia yet accessible to global players hungry for fresh perspectives.
With its appointment, Orange Line is set to serve as Salty Games’ strategy, paid media and creative engine, tasked with building a marketing ecosystem robust enough to launch and scale not only Pasture but future titles as well. The agency, known for its consulting-led approach to digital marketing, brings a reputation for combining measurable, full-funnel performance strategy with culturally grounded creative thinking. For Salty Games, this partnership is less about outsourcing and more about forming a bond with an agency that understands the studio’s ambition: to build a brand that feels as real as its landscapes and as energetic as its community.
David Klein, Co-Founder of Orange Line, described the collaboration as an alignment of cultures, visions and creative appetites. He noted that Salty Games offers something different from the usual fare that crosses an agency’s desk: an origin story steeped in place, a design language infused with raw artistic instinct, and a team whose goals extend well beyond local markets. “Salty Games is bringing something truly unique to the table, with its distinct Australian origin story, raw creative energy and an ambitious global mindset which perfectly aligns with Orange Line’s ethos, culture and ambitions,” Klein said. For Orange Line, the challenge is exhilarating. Gaming sits at the crossroads of entertainment, community and technology, and the chance to help shape a brand emerging from such a compelling cultural foundation promises both creative freedom and strategic complexity.
Klein emphasised that the agency’s vision involves designing a full-funnel digital activation framework that not only markets a game but builds a world around it — a world players want to enter, share and stay connected to. This includes creative narrative development, performance media scaled for gamer audiences across platforms, and a digital playbook built for long-term fan engagement. As gaming communities often thrive on authenticity, commentary loops and emotional resonance, Orange Line’s mandate includes creating “moments that matter,” where content, conversation and culture intersect. The agency’s internal enthusiasm for gaming is also expected to shape the tone and texture of its work for Salty Games. As Klein remarked, working in a “very fun vertical” brings both excitement and unique challenges, especially in striking the right balance between creative storytelling and measurable outcomes.
At the heart of Salty Games’ decision to appoint Orange Line was the search for a partner capable of understanding the real dynamics of the gaming ecosystem — from media strategy to user behaviour, from platform complexity to the psychology of fandom. Jordan Alty, Head of Marketing and Communications at Salty Games, made clear that the studio was not interested in a generic or formulaic agency approach. For a game like Pasture, which is built on a foundation of lived culture and emotional authenticity, choosing an agency that sees gaming as more than a content pipeline was essential. “We weren’t looking for a run-of-the-mill agency. We wanted a partner that understands the impact of gaming, the power of digital culture, and the discipline of measurable product-focused growth,” Alty said.
One of the most compelling aspects of Orange Line’s pitch was its focus on the entire user journey — a full-spectrum approach that looks beyond awareness and impressions to the deeper mechanics of player conversion, retention and engagement. From the first creative touchpoint through to the complexity of attribution on platforms like Steam, Orange Line demonstrated a nuanced understanding of how players discover, evaluate, purchase and immerse in games. For Salty Games, this is critical. The gaming market grows more competitive each year, with new titles flooding storefronts and attention spans splintering across genres, influencers and platforms. A studio’s ability to cut through the noise depends not only on a strong product but on strategic clarity, storytelling cohesion and data-driven distribution.
Pasture: The Livestock Simulator, with its mix of realism, outback texture and storytelling ambition, has already generated industry talk as a title that pushes simulation beyond typical farming tropes. The game’s emphasis on livestock management, environmental unpredictability and rugged outback survival creates a niche that feels both grounded and novel. As gaming communities increasingly gravitate toward experiences that reflect real-world cultures, livelihoods and environments, Pasture stands to benefit from marketing that highlights its authenticity while positioning it within global simulation trends.
The partnership with Orange Line is expected to elevate this positioning. While other studios may rely on traditional advertising, Salty Games is leaning into a community-first framework. That means integrating creative work that reflects player identity and passion, testing performance campaigns that meet gamers where they are, and investing in authentic digital storytelling that doesn’t shy away from the game’s raw Australian DNA. Whether through trailers, fan-driven content, social activations or long-form narratives, the studio aims to tell a story that extends beyond gameplay.
The agency’s remit includes building a growth engine capable of evolving with the studio, ensuring that as Salty Games releases new titles or expands into new markets, its marketing remains consistent with its identity while flexible enough to adapt to emerging trends. For an indie studio with global aspirations, such long-term strategic alignment provides a foundation for sustainable growth — not just in user numbers, but in brand recognition and community loyalty.
As the Australian gaming industry continues to mature, partnerships like this one illustrate how local studios are moving beyond small-scale production toward international credibility. The appointment of Orange Line signals confidence in the strength of Salty Games’ creative pipeline and in the rising profile of Australian-made games on the world stage. With Pasture on the horizon and a new chapter of brand-building underway, Salty Games appears ready to take its rugged outback creativity to a global community of players seeking stories that feel real, fresh and unapologetically local.
In the coming months, the collaboration between Salty Games and Orange Line is expected to intensify as launch preparations accelerate, fan communities grow and the studio sharpens its identity in an increasingly crowded landscape. For now, the message is clear: Salty Games is stepping into its next era, and it’s doing so with an agency that understands both the art and the science of modern gaming culture.
