“Before 2024 and after 2024” was the main message of the first Gamescom Latam in Brazil. This traditional German trade show joined forces with BIG (a long-standing local festival in Brazil) to really showcase what Brazil is capable of on the global stage. On the opening night of the show, the organizers were keen to really emphasize how important Brazil will become for you, for me, and for everyone around the world who plays games.
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Currently, game development is largely dominated by the Global North and West – the Global South, especially Latin America, does not support game development much. But Brazil is eager to change this. In May 2024, the country passed a law that takes a number of measures that will help make game development in the country simpler; for example, the new law makes it easier to obtain development kits and provides financial relief to grassroots developers, just to name a few elements of the framework.
But why should this matter to you, presumably a gamer from the US, UK, or Europe? In short, the Brazilian government passed a law recognizing games as a vehicle for innovation, business investment, and cultural expression. In fact, that’s a rare trifecta for a national government. Compared to the entertainment industry, games are a young industry that needs to actively fight for the same cultural and government recognition (and tax breaks) as film, TV, or music. In this regard, Brazil is a trailblazer.
So it’s still early days, but – in short – Brazil is looking at gaming from many angles. The Brazilian government wants to fund and help develop unique, creative and (essentially) marketable games.
In a few years (as the AAA games market in the UK, EU, and US continues to shrink – look at all the layoffs we’re experiencing right now), local Brazilian developers will fill the gaps that are starting to appear and deliver games. Remember, games take years to develop and release, and all the layoffs we’re seeing now will have a real impact in 2025 and beyond, when many of the downsized studios and destroyed creative jobs will start to show up in release schedules.
To that end, Brazil’s current recognition and investment in the local games industry will mean that in a few years you’ll have even more choice – and a higher quality and diversity of games (even more literally in some cases: I’ll be providing an overview of the best games from Gamescom Latam this weekend).
There is precedent for this: I’m not making up the optimism. Jason Della Rocca and Kristian Roberts, who helped write a white paper on Brazil’s place in the global gaming ecosystem, highlighted Finland as a good example of a country that has supported its developers and profited from it.
You may be familiar with Rovio (Angry Birds), Small Giant (Empires & Puzzles) and SuperCell (Clash of Clans), which are some of the best games on the mobile market and put Finland on the map in the gaming world. You may have played some of the games that have taken their place on the market and absolutely dominated it. Even though they were aimed at casual gamers, they also influenced core aspects of our hobby: Rovio, for example, was sold to Sega for $750 million, going mainstream and giving you, as a gamer, more choice and quality.
Meanwhile, in Switzerland, where gaming has been officially declared a form of culture and art, the government is subsidizing games that are seen as cultural exports. The most visible and successful of these is Game Pass hit Wandering Village.
Brazil has a great opportunity right now; multiple regions of this massive country are brimming with gaming industry development talent. Brazil has the fifth largest online gaming population in the world, with at least 105 million gamers, more than 13,000 people working in the gaming industry, and more than 1,000 gaming-related companies. The gaming industry here is massive and will soon become a major global force.
The message from Gamescom Latam is that Brazil has a chance to “leapfrog” more established countries and their game industries if the government continues to remove barriers for the country’s young developers. Brazilian game makers are wanted and expected to tell uniquely Brazilian stories in their games – stories that draw on the unique architecture, cuisine, language, and artistic expressions that the country is famous for. This is something that we all benefit greatly from, especially considering that Brazil is one of the most multicultural and ethnically diverse countries in the world. There are important and meaningful stories to be told here.
Right now, the eyes of the world are on Brazil—and it’s the perfect time for the locals to show us their secret weapons. This is before 2024 and after 2024, after all.
This article was written by Gamescom Latam. Travel and accommodation expenses were paid by the organizers. This weekend, iGamesNews will publish a full list of the best games to play at the event.
