38% of all games developed in Brazil between 2020 and 2021 were made primarily for mobile devices.
That's according to Abragames’ 2022 Brazil Games Industry Report. This development high was followed by PC (20%) and consoles (17%). Brazil is one of the fastest growing markets in the games industry, currently standing as the tenth biggest market in the world and the number one market in Latin America, with mobile leading the charge. The country currently boasts more than 12,000 employees working in more than a thousand game makers, with one mobile company, Wildlife Studios, being identified as the country’s first unicorn, reaching a valuation of $3 billion in 2020.
Additionally, the country’s games sector has garnered international attention, with an investment in Aquiris Game Studio by Epic Games paving the way for the company’s acquisition and rebranding as Epic Games Brasil earlier this year. 57% of the country’s 1009 developers reported foreign revenue, either from games or services provided to foreign partners.
55% of 198 respondents identified the USA as a major market, highlighting the country’s continued importance on the world stage. This was followed by Latin America (53%), Western Europe, and Canada (49% each). Interestingly China, the world’s biggest mobile market, was identified as a major market by just 23% of respondents.
A booming market
The report notes that Brazil has been identified as the most important games market in Latin America, with revenue exceeding $2.3 billion in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 5.1%. 74.5% of Brazilian consumers play games frequently, with phones, tablets, and PC identified as the top platforms.
Brazil’s games industry also reports high levels of diversity, with 30% of employees being female, 62% of whom are employed in core activities such as art design, programming, and project management. Additionally, 57% of Brazilian game studios have diverse workforces, including people of colour, members of the queer community, people with disabilities and the neurodiverse.
We recently attended Sao Paulo’s BIG Festival, the largest gaming event in Latin America. We’ll be delving deeper into our coverage of the event in the coming days.
