Brisbane-based Halfbrick Studios is recruiting for a new office in the state’s capital, with the new hires to work on the sequel to the wildly popular Fruit Ninja game.

The game, available on Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android and Microsoft’s Kinect platforms, tasks players with slicing their way through as much flying fruit as possible while avoiding traps and completing challenges.

Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner said Halfbrick’s Sydney studio was the result of the new $3 million Interactive Media Fund.“This will be Halfbrick’s second studio, with its current Brisbane office responsible for the creation of the original Fruit Ninja which recently surpassed over 100 million downloads across a variety of platforms,’’ he said.

‘‘The new Sydney team will develop the next evolution of the Fruit Ninja games franchise. The new game will involve players launching a series of fruit to knock ninjas off their towers in a 3D world, with each fruit having special powers.’’

The new game is due out in 2012 and will be developed for iOS only initially, with support for other platforms to follow.

Mr Stoner said the NSW Government’s Interactive Media Fund will provide $3 million over two years to support creative digital content, including electronic games and transmedia projects.

“This fund will help NSW build its share of the high-value digital games sector which will be increasingly important in developing serious business and education tools, as well as entertainment games like the latest Fruit Ninja project,” he said.

Pyrmont-based developer Nnooo also received support from the fund.