Report · January 1, 2022

Brazil Games Industry Report 2022

Summary

Brazil has established itself as the preeminent games market in Latin America and the 12th largest globally, generating approximately USD 2.3 billion in 2021. The ecosystem is defined by rapid professionalization and internationalization, evidenced by a 102% increase in active studios since 2018. With over 1,000 companies and a workforce exceeding 12,000 professionals, the industry has transitioned from a historical period of informality to a sophisticated hub for original intellectual property and high-quality external development services. While the Southeast and South regions remain the primary geographic hubs, the sector’s reach is global, with over half of local companies serving international markets, particularly in the United States and Europe. The industry demonstrates increasing maturity through longer studio lifespans and a shift toward diverse platforms. While mobile and PC development remain dominant, console production grew significantly to 17% of the market by 2021. Beyond entertainment, Brazilian studios maintain a strong presence in educational and corporate gamification. Despite this growth, structural challenges persist, including a lack of formal inclusion policies for underrepresented groups and a "wage war" for senior talent driven by the rise of remote work for foreign firms. Furthermore, the workforce is navigating a transition where 93% of companies now focus on proprietary IP, moving away from a pure service-provider model. Economic and regulatory hurdles continue to shape the landscape. Federal funding has reached historic lows, forcing a reliance on founder capital and state-level initiatives. Developers face significant "legal insecurity" due to the absence of a specific regulatory category for games and a tax system that treats development hardware as luxury entertainment rather than capital goods. Nevertheless, the resilience of the sector is underscored by a 336% revenue increase in USD since 2015 and the emergence of "unicorns" like Wildlife. The industry remains a vital component of the global value chain, increasingly recognized for its technical proficiency in engines like Unity and its expanding role in emerging technologies such as blockchain and the metaverse.

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OVERVIEW 1. Introduction 11 1. 1. About the Survey and structure of this Report 12 1. 2. The Game Industry 13 1. 3. Brazil’s Games Industry Ecosystem 15 1. 4. Brazil as a Games Market 15 1. 5. Multinationals in Brazil 16 2. History of the Games Industry in Brazil 18 2. 1. 1983 to 1992 – The Beginning: Brazilian Trail Blazers 19 2. 2. 1993 to 2001 – Professionalization: The CD-ROM Era 20 2. 3. 2002 to 2010 – Coordination: Brazil’s Game Industry Gears Up 20 2. 4. 2011 to 2017 – The Rise of the Brazilian Gaming Ecosystem: Open Doors to a Global Industry 22 2. 5. 2018 to today – Pandemic and Consolidation THE SKY’S THE LIMIT 24 2. 6. Timeline with the main highlights of Brazil’s Games Industry 25 3. State of the Industry 27 3. 1. Number of Studios 28 3. 2. Industry Growth 30 3. 3. Activities Performed 31 3. 4. Services Provided 33 3. 5. Time in Operation 34 4. Studios and Their Location 35 4. 1. Map showing the distribution of studios in Brazil 36 3

4. 2. Map Showing Developer Distribution by Region 36 4. 3. Major Brazilian Developers 38 4. 3. 1. Wildlife 39 4. 3. 2. Afterverse 39 4. 3. 3. Aquiris 40 4. 3. 4. Fanatee 40 4. 3. 5. PUGA 41 4. 3. 6. Sioux 41 4. 3. 7. Kokku 41 4. 3. 8. Gazeus 42 4. 3. 9. Pipa 42 4. 3. 10. Tapps 43 5. Games Profile 44 5. 1. Number of Games 45 5. 2. Types of Games Developed 45 5. 3. Game Development by Platform 47 5. 4. Distribution 48 5. 5. External Development 50 5. 6. Awards 52 6. Human Resources and Diversity 53 6. 1. Estimated Developer Headcounts and Growth 54 6. 2. Ratio between Partners and Employees 56 6. 3. Employment System 57 6. 4. Professional Distribution by Area 59 4 OVERVIEW

6. 5. Workforce Diversity 60 6. 5. 1. Gender 60 6. 5. 2. Diversity 63 7. Technologies and Services 67 7. 1. Most Used Engines 68 7. 2. Software and Licenses 69 7. 3. Services Used 70 8. Corporate Internationalization 71 8. 1. Conditions for Internationalization and International Exposure 72 8. 2. Target Markets 73 8. 3. Exporting Maturity 76 8. 4. Revenues from Abroad 77 9. Financial Overview 78 9. 1. Overall Industry Revenue 79 9. 2. Revenues of Responding Companies 80 9. 3. Revenues by Region 82 9. 4. Revenue and Monetization 83 9. 5. Main Revenue Source by Game Type 85 9. 6. Intellectual Property 86 10. Funding 87 10. 1. Private Funding 88 10. 2. Government Funding 90 5 OVERVIEW

10. 3. Public Policies 93 11. Associations and Collectives 95 11. 1. Mapped Associations 96 11. 2. Responding Associations 96 11. 3. Overview of Regional Associations 98 12. Events 100 12. 1. Events Focused on Game Development and Businesses 101 12. 2. Events for the General Public 102 12. 3. Academic Events 102 12. 4. Regional Events 103 13. Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic 104 13. 1. Remote Work 106 13. 2. Impacts on Studios 106 14. Trends and Prospects 108 14. 1. Technological Trends 109 14. 1. 1. NFTs, Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies 110 14. 2. Market Trends 111 14. 2. 1. Main Trends 111 14. 2. 2. International Competitiveness 112 14. 2. 3. The metaverse 113 14. 2. 4. More Dynamic Areas of Investment 114 14. 2. 5. Private Equity Investments 115 6 OVERVIEW

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Words: 31,299
Format: PDF
Type: Report

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