One year on and I’m back at the BIG festival, but now, it’s called Gamescom LATAM, the first edition of this newly christened event. The last time I talked with CEO Gustavo Steinberg and Abragames President Rodrigo Terra, w𝕴e discussed the origins of the event 🐭and what was on the horizon. Now, walking through the floors of the expo, I’m in awe of how big it's become. So I sat down with them once again, to talk about the changes from the past year and the accomplishments that the LATAM industry has yet to achieve.
This is a bigger and bolder occasion, and even in the smaller details, you can notice how much it has grown. However, this journey wasn’t without hardship, as Steinberg explains. “The planning of this year's event as a whole was the biggest challenge. We were asking ourselves ‘Okay, how are we going to change? Are we changing everything or are we keeping the same structure? So in the end, we kept the same concept but improved upon every single area. Everything is more specialized now, so I'll say it's more professional; not that it wasn't before, of course, but now it's a bigger structure that can produce a better event.”
Gamescom Latam 2024 - Finding Growth Through The 🧸Pa🌟in With Pawel Sasko
We sat down with CD Projekt Red's Pawel Sasko to talk about gamescom laﷺtam 2024!
When we talked last year, Steinberg wanted to focus on bringing in more developers and more publishers, without losing the indie vibe. Did Gamescom LATAM manage that? “Yeah, I think it worked,” he tells me. “It's always really good to see indie developers at the front and center of the event, especially in this region, right? I think the biggest change in that regard was that the big publishers needed to feel more comfortable being part of the show, and now they see that it's cool to be standing together with the many indie devs, and there is no conflict; they integrate very well, so the idea is working.”
Not only are major publishers joining in, but the Brazilian government also passed legislation that provides a legal framework for the gaming market in May. The law encourages other companies to invest in the gaming industry, and Terra is visibly excited about it. “This is an achievement that we’ve been waiting for 20 years to happen. It's one of the most modern laws that understands the role of video games as it is in the 21st century, and it gives a lot of structure to the industry, so we grew organically throughout these years, and now we have a commitment of the state to foster the industry,” he explains. “We had some sparse support before, but now with a federal law that obligates the state to prioritize game development as an economic actor, it will change everything.”
But with Brazil poised to become the epicenter, is the gaming industry at large ready to recognize the region as a hub for gaming development? “They are realizing it right now, for sure,” Steinberg explains. “We'll see the results afterward, but there are more important companies coming here for the first time. Last year there were 5,000 requests to hold B2B (Business to Business) meetings in the event; just yesterday, we checked and this year there are more than 11,000. The indicators are good, we'll see if the results are good afterward, but I believe they will”.
Brazil must also earn the status of a great development center for video games. “At the very least, we’re earning it right now,” T꧋erra says. “Still, I think we have a lot of work to do in terms of organization, but Gamescom LATAM 2024 is a very important milestone for us. Nowadays, I think of Brazil as a hotspot of creativity, and this year we took a step to the next level. We’re not anymore an interesting country just because of our consumer base, but we now have very good developers doing great work, and we’re receiving international attention.”
With Latin America growing ♚beyond any expectations, what milestones remain to be achieved for this event, and the region as a whole? “Well, what do you think?” Steinberg laughs. “We have to become the b꧃iggest gaming development region in the world! So yeah, we’re all doing our part.”
Terra echoes this sentiment by stating “For the next years, we need to keep empowering and growing, which is what makes this event unique; it’s not GDC, it’s not TGS, it’s not PAX, it isn’t like anything else in the world, not even like Summer Game Fest,” he says. “This is a unique event that empowers LATAM indie game devs. It's out, it's here, and it’s evolving, so we need to make sure that the game devs from this region are still the main stars of the show. The next years will be challenging, but it still needs to keep this essence and mission alive.”
Throughout the show, I kept walking through the expo, looking and trying the many independent games that Gamescom LATAM has to offer until something caught my attention; in the distance, I recognized the Artist Alley stands, which were a linꦐe of tables last year. Instead, an obelisk with multiple artists displaying their work can be seen now. Yeah, I think, this is just the first of many, many years on the horizon.
Gamescom Latam 2024 - Accessibility In Games And Its✨ Place In Latin America
We sat down with Christian Bernauer and Barrie Ellis t൲o talk about accessibility at gamescom latam 2024.
