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

The third edition of Gamescom Latam recently took place, the local version of the world's largest gaming event held in São Paulo, featuring numerous indies from Latin America and across the globe. However, this edition has grown and also showcased booths with unreleased AAA games, an unprecedented milestone for the event.

To better understand how the LATAM game development scene has been transforming over the past few years, I had the opportunity to speak with Gustavo Steinberg, the event's CEO. According to Gustavo, Brazil has become a safe haven in the global landscape of layoffs and high costs, offering both indie games made with immense creativity and artistic appeal, as well as professionals who can act as co-developers at any level and in any studio.

Q: This is the third edition of Gamescom Latam. It was previously the BIG Festival. What encouraged the change? Why this rebranding?

We've been on a long road. We've been running gaming events for 15 years, but we used to focus on indie games and business. After the pandemic, we decided to expand into B2C and began a trajectory alongside Omelete to grow the B2C side of the event.

Midway through, we saw an opportunity because of the type of event we already had. It has B2B, it has B2C. It's an industry event focused on game developers, but obviously with a view toward players. We eventually managed to strike a deal, a joint venture with Gamescom, which is the largest gaming event in the world. They had already launched an edition in Asia and have the main one in Germany. So, we opened Gamescom here to create more business opportunities and give the Brazilian public access to real gaming content, working with the publishers we've been building relationships with for over a decade.

Q: Recently, Abragames and Apex Brasil commented on several campaigns and initiatives to foster the Brazilian industry, bringing not only Brazilian and LATAM games to the world but also professionals as co-developers. Why do you think Brazil and LATAM are ready for the global stage?

We are on that track. We work very closely with Abragames. Brasil Games is the international brand of Abragames, and Apex is the one financing the Brasil Games export project. Apex already supports the Abragames project, which is also implemented with our support, and here we are developing the entire B2B section in direct partnership with Abragames. So, we've been fostering and preparing the national development market to expand abroad for 15 years. Now, it's finally paying off. We managed to put a spotlight on Brazil, putting it on the map not just as a consumer, but as a producer of games.

Q: In a past interview, you mentioned that the Brazilian industry is taking the initiative because, with so many uncertainties and layoffs, the global scene is very aggressive. However, the Brazilian industry is stepping up now to help lighten the load, mentioning that LATAM is a refuge from this heavy gaming industry climate. How can gaming companies look to Brazil for a breath of fresh air in such a disastrous scenario?

Because we are still growing here, right? We're growing, but more than just growing from a developer's standpoint, there is a resolve to make games and a level of dedication that you just don't find elsewhere, at least I haven't found it yet. I travel through many international markets, and the folks here have fire in their eyes. They are hungry, and they are grabbing every opportunity we offer and seeking out opportunities in international markets.

There is an ever-increasing technical and artistic capacity here to develop very cool games for lower prices than abroad. But it's not just about price. It's the level of quality and the type of game people are managing to develop. They aren't AAA games, but they are very cool indie games.

Q: On Wednesday, we had the BIG Festival, the world's largest indie awards. The idea is that it doesn't just reward games made in LATAM. For example, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won the Best Game category. Do you feel this award influences the visibility of LATAM indie games worldwide?

Of course! Look, the BIG Festival has always been international. In the beginning, during the first two years, people criticized me: "Oh, you're giving awards to international games." But when a Brazilian wins at the BIG Festival, they are recognized internationally immediately. It's just that we are in Brazil, but the BIG Festival is the world's biggest indie game festival. There's the IGF, which is more important only because it's American.

Q: Does it have more investment?

Not more investment. It's American, that's all. It's just because it's in the United States, which is the center of the capitalist world. But we have a very significant relevance. Kepler, who made Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, has been coming to the BIG Festival and sending games here since 2013. We've known Kepler for a long time. This time, they brought an actor, Maxence Cazorla. People told me we couldn't give them (Clair Obscur) an award. How can we not? The game was made by two people at the start. If a Brazilian game explodes, we already have the platform to show it to the world.

Q: Last year, I interviewed Shuhei Yoshida, and he is an enormous fan of the BIG Festival. He simply loves it.

And now the head of third-party at PlayStation is here, Héctor Fernández. The head of third-party and second-party at Nintendo is here, the head of third-party at Xbox is here. Everyone is here.

Q: This is Gamscom LATAM's third edition. What do you think are the primary plans for future editions? What do you see yourself improving here at Gamescom Latam to bring in more public, both B2C and B2B?

We are smaller than Gamescom in Germany, naturally. There isn't even a pavilion that size in Brazil. But we are already half the size of CCXP. In terms of scale, we are on par with other major events. However, we are a pure gaming event, an industry event. We have 60 releases in this edition, including five AAA titles. We have a world premiere. There has never been one in Brazil before.

Q: Phantom Blade Zero?

Phantom Blade Zero, man. A AAA game no one had seen before (the public). Here is the first place anyone saw a one-hour demo. Control: Resonant will have new information today with an exclusive trailer. We are a festival, an international event that is part of the global calendar. What do I want for the event? To keep it going. What do I need to improve? My communication. But we're going to be packed. Today, there are already more people than last year. Yesterday was the same. We'll see how tomorrow goes.

Q: What message would you like to send not only to gaming fans but also to global developers, both companies and individual creators, about Gamescom Latam?

This is the celebration of games. Any platform, any game size. You have Marvel Tokon right next to the BIG Festival indie games. The first time we did that, it was strange. Now people have gotten used to it because there is literally no more wall between indies and larger games. We believe in games as a form of human expression. It's great fun, but above all, it's a form of artistic and cultural expression. The most contemporary thing in human and artistic expression in the world today is the gaming industry. Come to Brazil.