What Abragames does

Abragames — formally Associação Brasileira das Empresas Desenvolvedoras de Jogos Digitais — is a Brazilian non-profit trade association founded in 2004 and headquartered in São Paulo. It represents the country's video game industry, which it sizes at approximately 1,100 studios and 13,000 professionals. The association does not develop, publish, finance, or directly sponsor games; instead it acts as the collective industry body providing advocacy, international market access, and export promotion services to its member studios.

The organization operates two flagship programmatic brands: Brazil Games, the ApexBrasil-funded export promotion project that curates Brazilian pavilion presence at GDC, Gamescom (including Gamescom Latam), Tokyo Game Show, XDS, and Kidscreen; and the Brazil Games Accelerator, a government-backed program supporting early-stage Brazilian game studios in developing products for global markets. Abragames also lobbies for public funding mechanisms, with a notable 2024 win securing "cultural status" for video games in Brazil, which enables income tax rebates of up to 16% reinvested into cultural projects. The association maintains a dedicated press office, partner network (including platform holders PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo), and tiered membership/partnership structures.

Abragames is funded primarily by ApexBrasil — Brazil's national export promotion agency — supplemented by membership fees from studios and partners. It does not sell products or services in a commercial sense. Its customer base is fragmented across the roughly 1,100 Brazilian game studios it represents, ranging from work-for-hire and outsourcing shops serving international platforms to indie developers seeking to develop original IP for global markets. The association's strategic priorities center on internationalization, scaling member studios from contract work to original IP, and channeling public funding into the sector.

Name

Abragames

Legal name

ABRAGAMES - ASSOCIAÇÃO BRASILEIRA DAS EMPRESAS DESENVOLVEDORAS DE JOGOS DIGITAIS

Website

https://abragames.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Abragames is a Brazilian non-profit trade association founded in 2004 that represents approximately 1,100 video game studios and 13,000 professionals, providing export promotion, international event access, policy advocacy, and the Brazil Games Accelerator program for member studios seeking global market entry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Abragames is a Brazilian non-profit trade association representing approximately 1,100 video game development studios and 13,000 professionals. It provides industry advocacy, export promotion through the Brazil Games initiative (in partnership with ApexBrasil), international event participation, business matchmaking with global platform holders, and the Brazil Games Accelerator program supporting early-stage studios. The association does not develop, publish, or finance games itself but operates as a collective representation body for the Brazilian games industry.

Product overview

Abragames (Associação Brasileira das Empresas Desenvolvedoras de Jogos Digitais) is a trade association representing Brazil's video game industry, comprising approximately 1,100 studios and 13,000 professionals. It is not a product company and does not develop, finance, publish, or directly sponsor game development. The association's offerings consist of industry advocacy, business networking, international event participation (such as GDC, Gamescom, Tokyo Game Show, XDS, Kidscreen), the Brazil Games project for export promotion, and the Brazil Games Accelerator program for game studios. The organization facilitates connections between member studios and international markets, provides training and capacity-building initiatives, and articulates with public and private partners to strengthen the Brazilian game industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Brazil Games: Export promotion project for Brazilian game studios under Abragames, managed through ApexBrasil.
• Brazil Games Accelerator

Products and services

• Brazil Games The international-facing export promotion project managed by Abragames in partnership with ApexBrasil. It promotes Brazilian game studios abroad through catalogs, videos, event pavilions, and business matching services at major international gaming trade events.
• Brazil Games Accelerator A government-backed accelerator program supporting early-stage Brazilian game studios in developing their products for global markets. The program received over 150 applications despite expecting around 100, and showcased 24 games at Gamescom Latam 2026.
• Industry Advocacy and Representation Trade association representation and lobbying for Brazilian game developers, including advocacy for public funding mechanisms such as income tax rebates of up to 16% reinvested into cultural projects following video games' cultural status recognition in Brazil in 2024.
• Export Qualification Program (Qualify your company for export) Program under the Brazil Games initiative that qualifies Brazilian game studios for export, providing training and preparation to participate in international markets and trade events.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Apex Brazil (ApexBrasil)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerApex Brazil is Brazil's national export promotion agency that provides funding and support for the Brazil Games project. The agency helps finance Abragames' international promotion activities, trade missions, and export qualification programs for member studios.
• Brazil GamescoreOthersBrazil Games is the international brand and project managed by Abragames to promote Brazilian game studios abroad. The initiative showcases member companies at international events and facilitates business connections with global publishers and platform holders.
• PlayStationminorOthersMajor international platform holder that Brazilian studios work with as partners for external development, co-development, and outsourcing projects.
• Xbox (Microsoft)minorOthersMajor international platform holder that Brazilian studios work with as partners for external development, co-development, and outsourcing projects.
• NintendominorOthersMajor international platform holder that Brazilian studios work with as partners for external development, co-development, and outsourcing projects.
• Gamescom LatamcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGamescom Latam is a major regional gaming event where Abragames organizes the Brazil Games pavilion, showcasing member studios to international buyers and media.
• CQS AdvminorOthersListed as a partner of Abragames on their website partners section.
• Agência DroneminorOthersListed as a partner of Abragames on their website partners section.
• Druid CreativeminorOthersListed as a partner of Abragames on their website partners section.
• Brazil Games AcceleratorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment-backed accelerator program that received over 150 applications despite expecting around 100. The program supports early-stage Brazilian game studios in developing their products for global markets.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• TIGA (The Independent Game Developers' Association): UK trade association representing the games industry, providing advocacy, business support, and international promotion for British game studios. Directly comparable to Abragames in structure, mandate, and member services, but focused on the UK ecosystem.
• Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA): Australian peak industry body for the interactive entertainment sector, representing game publishers, developers, and distributors nationally and abroad. Closely comparable to Abragames as a national trade association driving export and policy outcomes for a smaller, English-language market.
• Entertainment Software Association (ESA): US trade association for the video game industry, conducting advocacy, market research (e.g., Essential Facts), and representing major publishers and developers. Closest peer to Abragames in industry-representation mandate, just at much greater scale.
• Singapore Games Developers Association (SGDA): Singapore-based industry association supporting local game studios with international showcase, mentorship, and connections to regional publishers. Direct structural peer to Abragames as a national trade body facilitating an emerging market's studios into global supply chains.
• International Game Developers Association (IGDA): Global, member-driven organization representing individual game developers across disciplines, focused on professional development, diversity, and advocacy. Compares to Abragames as a developer-serving industry body, but with an individual-membership rather than studio-membership model.

Broad incumbents

• Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA): Korean government agency under the Ministry of Culture that funds and promotes Korean games and other content industries internationally. Analogous institutional role to the relationship between Abragames and ApexBrasil, but state-run and at significantly greater scale.
• European Games Developer Federation (EGDF): Umbrella federation of national game developer associations across Europe, doing EU-level policy advocacy and funding coordination. Peers with Abragames' advocacy/export-promotion mission but operates at a regional/supranational level aggregating national bodies like Abragames.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/abragames---brazilian-association-of-game-development-companies
• Xx.com/abragames
• Facebookfacebook.com/abragames

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Abragames