Brazil dreams big at Gamescom LATAM
- Brazil’s games industry is looking to shift from an outsourcing hub to new IP creation.
- Gamescom LATAM CEO Gustavo Steinberg says he wants the country to stop being just a games-consuming nation and become a games-producing one.
- Mobile gaming had a significant presence on the show floor despite Brazilian developers moving to other platforms.
Stay Informed
Get Industry News In Your Inbox…
Sign Up Today
This article was first published in the PocketGamer.biz newsletter. Subscribe for more content like this straight to your inbox here – you’ll even get 10% discounts on PGC events.
Last week I spent time in Sao Paulo, Brazil for Gamescom LATAM, a major event that brings both regional and international industry professionals together – including 100k+ consumers.
We’ve recently written a lot about government support and its impact on local games companies. In Brazil, following the establishment of the local framework for games and initiatives like the Brazil Games Accelerator, studios are being given needed support to develop original IP. One developer told us that their game wouldn’t exist without government funding.
We spoke with Brazil Games executive operations manager Patricia Sato, who said: “I’m sure, especially for Latin countries, that we have a lot of other countries that face this exact same issue: a lot of good talent going to waste or happy to move out of the country.”
From this perspective, government support is key to helping build the foundations of this emerging game industry. Over the years, the sector has become home to a number of studios offering outsourcing and co-development services. But there’s an ambition to build new, original IP that can garner global success while potentially spreading Brazilian culture around the world.
Outsourcing to new IP
As Gamescom LATAM CEO Gustavo Steinberg said, it’s important for Brazil to stop being just a game-consuming country and become a game-producing one. And he’s not talking about just work-for-hire.
When it comes to mobile, a decade ago, Brazil appeared to be becoming a hotbed of activity, home to studios like Aquiris and Tapps Games. These days, it seems most studios are targeting platforms like PC.
Industry attendees at the show speculated this could be down to the high expenses of marketing mobile games and the lack of investment opportunities open to mobile developers, a number of whom are reliant on publishing deals.
It’s interesting to see the showfloor with significant presences for mobile games like Clash Royale, Brawl Stars and Pokémon Go, just as local developers focus on other platforms. Though there are still mobile successes, such as IzyPlay and Clap Clap Games, for example.
Brazil’s games industry has come a long way over the past decade. The quality of home-grown games at the Gamescom LATAM Big Festival Awards 2026 and on the showfloor has grown substantially as more professional studios have emerged. According to Sato, there could be as many as 1,200 in the country.
It’s clear Brazil is looking to capitalise on new government support , while it lasts, to propel its nascent game sector to new heights. We’ll have a full report on that progress soon, but the signs point to a country doing what it can to fight for a positive future.
