Event organizers have responded after over 250 developers from Brazil accused Gamescom Latam of failing to provide adequate support during the high-profile showcase.
Update (05/29/25): Gamescom Latam organizers have responded to a number of mismanagement allegations tabled by over 250 Brazilian developers in an open letter published earlier this week.
The letter broadly claimed that Brazilian developers who exhibited at Gamescom Latam—particularly within the Brazil Panorama area—were subjected to poor conditions, forced to pay for expensive equipment and booth rentals, and offered inadequate support from the event team during the high-profile showcase.
In a response shared with Game Developer (subsequently posted online), Gamescom Latam organizers acknowledged receipt of the open letter and said that developers who participated in the event chose to do so voluntarily and with prior knowledge of relevant terms and conditions, which they claimed were "transparently disclosed and clarified" before any commitments were made.
Addressing the allegations relating to Brazil Panorama, specifically, Latam organizers said "optional paid services" were made available to those who wished to "enhance their participation," and reiterated that clear guidelines regarding the occupation of demo stations—put in place in order to "avoid them being empty as seen in the last edition of the event"—were communicated ahead of time.
The Latam team also stated that both Brazil Panorama and BIG Festival are "offered free of charge to selected games" and included the donation of show floor at the event, the free provision of structure and furniture, support from event staff, access credentials for the event, access to the business area, financial assistance for participants from outside Sao Paulo state, and more.
In addition, the Latam team took issue with the estimated event budget shared in the open letter. "We also deem it necessary to correct a factual inaccuracy regarding public funding. The financial support provided by the City of São Paulo to the event was R$1 million, as previously disclosed," they wrote.
"The figure of R$22 million mentioned in the [open letter] refers to the total projected production budget for Gamescom Latam 2025 as of January this year. This amount encompasses expenses related to production, content curation, marketing, venue rental, staffing, accreditation, and other operational activities."
Latam organizers said they strive to be "attentive to feedback from the community" and remain "open to dialogue with those interested in working towards the development of the gaming industry in Brazil and Latin America."
Original story: Over 250 Brazilian developers have signed an open letter addressed to Gamescom Latam, accusing the event of alleged mismanagement, including expensive rentals for power strips and a requirement for exhibitors to be in their booth for up to 12 hours, with penalties for leaving the spot.
Spearheaded by Game Devs Unidos (GDU), an independent games collective in Brazil, the letter (which was translated into English) focuses on the treatment that Brazilian developers received at the event held from April 30 to May 4 in São Paulo. According to GDU, that included "exorbitantly priced booths, high fees for TV rentals, lack of staff to assist developers, charging for power strip rentals, lack of support for food and transportation, absence of chairs and resting areas."
The letter branded the situation at Gamescom Latam "inadequate for the current standard of national and international events that position themselves as promoters of the local industry," and accused event organizers of behaving "antagonistically toward developers."
In particular, GDU highlights the exhibitors in the Panorama Brasil section as the most affected by mismanagement. According to the Gamescom Latam helpdesk, the exhibited games include projects produced by Brazilian developers that weren‛t selected for the competitive showcases, meaning they‛re not eligible for any festival awards. The signees imply that exhibitors in the Panorama Brasil section were particularly impacted by this treatment, and that they didn't see any financial benefit from exhibiting.
The list of suggested improvements in the letter includes transportation assistance, meal vouchers, a rest area for developers similar to the one for press attendees, screens and power strips available at no additional cost, and free lockers for exhibitors.
Amidst the suggestion of having staff assist Panorama Brasil developers with the public, GDU mentions that this should include covering their booths when they need to step away for bathroom breaks or meals, claiming that there‛s currently a "requirement of up to 12 hours per day with penalties for leaving the booth," which the letter calls "unfeasible."
Gamescom Latam scored millions in public funding, but allegedly didn't support Brazilian devs
Via the letter, The Gaming Era reported that Gamescom Latam received over 30 million reais (around $5.3 million) in investments. This includes public funding from federal, state, and municipal sources through institutions such as Spcine, SCEIC-SP, the Ministry of Culture, and the Federal Government via the Federal Law for Cultural Incentives.
The Diário Oficial da Prefeitura de São Paulo estimated the total event budget at roughly 23 million reais ($4 million), which includes 739,000 reais from games trade body Abragames. In the letter, GDU mentions that Abragames' budget was used to cover travel expenses of international influencers and press, referencing a travel vlog by independent media outlet MinnMax as a source. (Game Developer also attended Gamescom Latam with transport and accommodation provided by Abragames.)
"This situation becomes even more pronounced when compared to the treatment given to some of the international guests, whose travel and accommodation are often covered, along with other incentives," GDU says in the letter.
In May 2024, the Brazilian government signed a new bill to foster growth for local devs, which was first lobbied in part by Abragames in 2022. As reported by GamesIndustry.Biz, Gamescom Latam hosted more than 130,000 visitors this year, a 30 percent increase compared to 100,000 visitors in the first event hosted in 2024.
"The numbers were above expectations, and the broken records not only consolidate the great relevance of the event for the whole region but also show companies from all over the world that this market is consolidated, competitive, and is filled with a lot of passion and high-quality professionals," said Gustavo Steinberg, CEO of Gamescom Latam.
You can read the full letter by Game Devs Unidos here.
Game Developer has contacted Gamescom Latam for comment and will update this story when a response is issued.