Brazil's games industry expands global presence with trade show strategy and new legal framework

Brazil's games industry is pursuing an ambitious international expansion strategy through trade shows, dedicated pavilions, and a new legal framework designed to support domestic studios.

The sector has increased its presence at major events, hosting a B2B booth at Gamescom alongside a dedicated Brazil Indie Pavilion featuring 35 games. More significantly, Brazil Games took its largest-ever delegation to Tokyo Game Show 2026, bringing 31 games companies including 12 playable titles, 21 studios and 55 people. This follows the organisation's first official participation at Tokyo Game Show in 2025.

Patrícia Sato, executive operations manager at Brazil Games, attributed strong results to these efforts. "This one had the best return of investment from our companies," she said of Gamescom LATAM. "It is a trend that has been happening with the trade shows we attend."

The strategy reflects a deliberate approach to connecting domestic studios across a geographically vast country. "Sometimes, as Brazil is ginormous, most of our companies we can only meet at the international events," Sato explained. "It's so funny that we have to get out of Brazil to talk to those guys that are also Brazilians."

Brazil Games, an international export program run in partnership with trade association Abragames and trade promotion agency ApexBrasil, has also been taking studios on targeted global tours. The organisation covers travel and accommodation for international publishers, investors and media to attend its events.

Domestically, a new legal framework for the industry has been established to support growth. The Brazil Games Accelerator entered its first year having welcomed 40 studios. However, implementation remains incomplete. Abragames president Rodrigo Terra indicated that by the end of 2027, 80% of mechanisms for grants and tax relief should be in place. "It takes time, I mean it's politics, it takes time. You need to be present, you need to be resilient and be there all the time," Terra said.

The Brazilian approach draws inspiration from established hubs. Turkey's success stems from government support, talent migration from established developers, and significant funding flows. Brazil has built its reputation in co-development and outsourcing but is now positioning itself within a broader "global South" strategy. Terra cited South Africa and New Zealand as potential partners in building regional industry capacity.