The Videogames Sector in Argentina

The Netherlands Enterprise Agency's June 2022 brief on Argentina's videogame sector presents an overview of the country's market, industry structure, key institutions, and intellectual property considerations, with an emphasis on identifying opportunities for complementarity with the Dutch games industry. The report frames the sector as a strong growth area, noting that global game sales reached over USD 174 billion in 2020 and that Argentina's market, estimated at USD 495 to 500 million in annual sales, is among the largest in Latin America, with up to 20 million gamers in a population of roughly 45 million.

On the industry side, the report describes a sector of about 1,950 professionals generating roughly USD 87 million in 2020, with approximately 77 percent of output exported, mainly to the United States, Canada, and Europe. Local firms are predominantly small, with 53 percent classed as microenterprises, and the most common game types are casual and social titles, educational games, and action games. A notable constraint identified is the shortage of qualified local talent, with 80 percent of firm investment going toward hiring and retaining staff. The report contrasts Argentina's casual-game orientation with the Netherlands' focus on serious games in areas such as defense, health, and education.

The market data draws on sources including the Inter-American Development Bank, Global Web Index, and Statista, with Statista projecting Argentine video game revenue of USD 672 million in 2022 and a compound annual growth rate of 11.35 percent through 2026. An annex prepared by the EU-funded Latin America IP SME Helpdesk outlines how copyright, trademarks, industrial designs, trade secrets, and patents apply to games, noting that copyright arises automatically while other rights require local registration with the national IP office, and that software patenting is more restricted than in many other jurisdictions.