Gamescom LATAM CEO Gustavo Steinberg Says “Brazilian Developers Have Fire in Their Eyes”

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Gamescom Latam, the Latin American edition of the world’s biggest gaming event, recently finished its third year in São Paulo. While it traditionally highlights independent game developers from Latin America and around the world, this year’s event also featured booths showcasing unreleased AAA titles – a first for Gamescom Latam.

I recently spoke with Gustavo Steinberg, CEO of LATAMgame, to learn more about the exciting changes happening in Latin American game development. He explained that Brazil is now a stable and attractive location, both for independent game creators with unique and artistic visions, and for skilled professionals who can contribute to game development projects of all sizes and in any studio worldwide.

The interview has been slightly edited for clarity.

Interview With Gustavo Steinberg, the CEO of Gamescom Latam

So, Gamescom Latam is actually the third time they’re running this event, but before it was known as the BIG Festival. I’m curious why they decided to switch things up and rebrand it as a Gamescom event – what was the thinking behind that change?

We’ve been organizing gaming events for 15 years, originally concentrating on independent games and the business side of the industry. After the pandemic, we shifted our focus to reach consumers directly and partnered with Omelete to expand the event’s consumer-facing aspects.

Halfway through planning, we realized we were in a good position because our event already attracted both businesses and consumers. It’s geared towards game developers, but we also wanted to include players. We eventually partnered with Gamescom, the world’s biggest gaming event, which already had successful shows in Asia and Germany. Bringing Gamescom here allows us to create more business opportunities and give Brazilian gamers access to great content, leveraging our long-standing relationships with game publishers.

Recently, Abragames and Apex Brasil have been highlighting efforts to grow the Brazilian game industry, helping both Brazilian and Latin American games reach a global audience and creating opportunities for local professionals to collaborate on projects worldwide. What makes Brazil and Latin America well-positioned for success on the global stage?

We’re making good progress on this initiative. We have a strong partnership with Abragames, the organization behind the Brasil Games international brand. Apex is funding the project to help Brazilian games reach international markets, and they already support Abragames’ broader work, which we also contribute to. Together, we’re building the business-to-business side of this effort. For 15 years, we’ve been working to develop the Brazilian game industry and prepare it for international expansion, and now we’re seeing the results. We’ve successfully put Brazil on the global gaming map, not just as a country that plays games, but as a country that makes them.

We successfully drew attention to Brazil, establishing it as a game-creating country, not just a player of them.

You previously noted that Brazil’s gaming industry is becoming more proactive, especially given the current global instability and job losses. You suggested that Brazil, and Latin America more broadly, offers a more stable environment. Could you explain how gaming companies can benefit from focusing on Brazil as a potentially safer market during these challenging times?

We’re a company that’s rapidly expanding, and what sets us apart isn’t just our growth, but the passionate commitment of our team to making great games. I’ve traveled extensively, and the dedication I see here is truly unique. Our team is eager, ambitious, and actively pursuing opportunities both domestically and abroad.

We’re seeing a growing ability to create impressive games locally, and at a lower cost than in other countries. It’s not just about being affordable, though – the quality and creativity of these games are really standing out. While they aren’t big-budget, blockbuster titles, they’re fantastic independent games.

We held the BIG Festival, a major indie game awards event, on Wednesday. It’s designed to recognize great games from all over the world, not just Latin America. For instance, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was named Best Game. I’m curious to know if winning this award helps Latin American indie games gain more attention internationally.

Absolutely! The BIG Festival has always welcomed games from all over the world. When it first started, some people questioned giving awards to international developers. However, when a Brazilian game wins here, it instantly gains global recognition. We’re based in Brazil, but the BIG Festival is truly the largest indie game festival worldwide. The only festival that’s more well-known is the IGF, and that’s mainly because it’s based in the United States.

Q: Does it have more investment?

This isn’t about a lack of funding; it’s simply because the game is American, and the US is the heart of the gaming industry. However, we have a strong connection to the developer, Kepler, who has been attending and submitting games to our festival since 2013. We’ve followed their work for years. This time, they brought along actor Maxence Cazorla. Some people questioned giving their game, Clair Obscur, an award, but we felt it deserved recognition – especially considering it was initially created by just two people. If a Brazilian game gains popularity, we have the means to showcase it globally.

I spoke with Shuhei Yoshida last year, and he’s a huge fan of the BIG Festival – he really enjoys it.

We’ve got representatives from all the major console makers here today: Héctor Fernández leads third-party development at PlayStation, and leaders from Nintendo and Xbox’s third-party teams are also present. It’s a full house!

Gamescom LATAM is happening for the third time now. What are the main goals for future events? And what improvements would you like to make at Gamescom LATAM to attract a larger audience, including both general attendees and industry professionals?

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While we’re not as large as Gamescom in Germany – there simply isn’t a venue that big in Brazil – we’re already half the size of CCXP. We compare favorably in scale to other big events, but what sets us apart is our focus: we’re entirely dedicated to gaming as an industry. This year, we’re showcasing 60 new game releases, including five major AAA titles, and we’re even hosting a world premiere – something that’s never happened in Brazil before.

Q: Phantom Blade Zero?

Let’s talk about Phantom Blade Zero – a brand new AAA game that many people are seeing for the first time right here, with a one-hour demo. We’re also excited to share a new trailer for Control: Resonant today. This event is a major international festival, and we’re working to establish it as a yearly tradition. My main goal is to ensure the festival continues, and I’m focused on improving how we communicate updates. It’s great to see such a strong turnout – we already have more attendees today and yesterday than we did last year, and we’ll see if that continues tomorrow.

We’re expanding, and what really sets us apart isn’t just our growth as a company, but the passionate commitment everyone has to making great games. I haven’t seen that level of dedication anywhere else.

What do you want to say to gamers and game developers – both big companies and independent creators – about Gamescom Latam?

We’re celebrating all games, big and small, on any platform! You’ll find everything from titles like Marvel Tokon alongside the fantastic indie games showcased at the BIG Festival. It felt a little unusual when we first combined them, but now everyone appreciates how it breaks down the barriers between indie and larger studios. We see games as a powerful form of art and culture – a truly contemporary expression of human creativity. In fact, the gaming industry is at the forefront of artistic expression today. Come experience it all in Brazil!

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2026-05-05 00:10