n case you missed it, Brazil Games, the Brazilian Games Export Program, which is carried out by Abragames (Brazilian Games Companies Association) in partnership with ApexBrasil (The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency), wanted to share the amazing news that Brazilian developers AQUIRIS — best known for their award-winning work on titles such as Wonderbox and Horizon Chase — entered a multi-game publishing agreement with Epic Games. This strategic partnership and investment from Epic Games will help shape the Brazilian gaming scene for many years to come.
“The LATAM Studios have been producing really great games,” says Sandro Manfredini, Business Director at AQUIRIS. “Epic Games’ investment in AQUIRIS is a milestone that we expect to bring more opportunities and visibility to what’s coming out from our region.”
Brazil has become the new hot spot for the gaming industry and the partnership shows just how much of a powerhouse their industry has grown into. “We are thrilled to partner with Epic Games. It’s a strong endorsement of what AQUIRIS has built so far, and we can’t wait to show the world what we are working on together,” says Mauricio Longoni, CEO at AQUIRIS. “Epic’s publishing power and close collaboration with us on tech, business intelligence, and product development will help us boost the quality and the reach of our titles.”
Hector Sanchez, Head of Third-Party Publishing at Epic Games will join the board of directors at AQUIRIS. “AQUIRIS not only have a keen eye for quality game experiences, but have demonstrated great artistic and technical capabilities with their utilization of Unreal Engine in their products. We’re honored to have this opportunity to strengthen our relationship with one of the premiere studios in the growing and important Latin American development scene.”
This is an exciting time for the future of the Brazilian game industry as they ramp up for Brazil’s Independent Games Festival (Big Festival) 2022 — the largest independent games festival in Latin America. Last year’s event generated a staggering amount of business partnerships and opportunities with 5,642 business meetings between developers and publishers. In 2019, the event generated more than $65 million USD in business, and with industry giants like Epic and Nintendo forming close relationships and partnerships with Brazilian Studios, BIG Festival is an incredible opportunity for business development in one of the hottest gaming markets in the world.
Taking place July 6th through 10th, Big Festival 2022 is excited to return as an in-person event with tickets available soon.
Brazil is now the largest market by games revenues in LATAM and #12 in the world in 2022. The $2.3 billion (USD) Brazilian games industry has seen explosive growth over the last several years, with the number of local gamers reaching a staggering 94.7 million as of 2021. The mobile gaming market accounts for nearly half the revenue, and is the fastest growing sector, however, both console and PC account for $657 million and $556 million respectively.
