How São Paulo state is helping Brazil's games scene become self-sustainable
Brazil is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the games industry. In 2023, the number of developers in the country grew by 3.2% from 1,009 studios to 1,042 – a large majority of those being located in the state of São Paulo.
Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz at Gamescom Latam, São Paulo state secretary for Culture, Creative Economy and Industries Marilia Marton discusses what the government is doing to support developers in São Paulo, and what she hopes the future of the games industry holds in Brazil.
Marton says the government first looked into how the sector worked and the demands that needed to be met to determine how to support it. They also brought on technical advisor to the secretary Anderson da Silva Abraços to help comprehend the industry as a whole.
"The first thing the government realised is that the industry needs funding," she recalls.
"We have something in São Paulo that we call editas, which is where we give money to the culture [sector] so it can make some cultural things separate from language.
"The first thing the government realised is that the industry needs funding"
"We decided to add gaming inside of this funding, where the government provides money for studios to develop games worldwide. If a person is from São Paulo and has a company in the state, they can apply for this funding and the government will give them money to produce a game."
Marton noted that the government had been waiting for a legal framework specifically for the games industry to be put in place, which was adopted earlier this year. We explored the expected impact of this new legislation yesterday.
The framework saw Brazil agree to new laws and legal terms that set video games out as their own industry, rather than part of other creative sectors. This means the government can now pass laws, introduce policies, and set regulations specifically for the games industry. Developers will also be able to register as a games company, rather than a software company that makes games with a
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