gamescom latam

gamescom latam is a Brazilian video-game event created through a partnership between Koelnmesse, organizer of gamescom in Cologne, and the team behind Brazil’s Independent Games Festival (BIG Festival). Its first edition was staged at São Paulo Expo from June 26 to 30, 2024, replacing the former BIG Festival as the public facing event while retaining BIG’s role in independent-game recognition and business activity. The launch linked Latin America’s established game-development gathering to the gamescom brand, whose German edition is organized by Koelnmesse. Than being a local franchise in name only, gamescom latam combined a consumer exhibition, conference programming, and an awards program in one São Paulo venue. Its opening edition drew more than 100,000 visitors, according to organizers, and was held across five days. Attendees could play games on the show floor, meet studios and publishers, and follow programmed talks and panels. The event also continued BIG Festival’s Best International Games Festival competition, better known as the BIG Festival Awards. That continuity matters because BIG Festival had run in Brazil since 2012, building a record of showcasing independent developers before the gamescom latam name appeared. In 2024, gamescom latam announced award winners across multiple categories, including prizes for independent games, visual art, and narrative. The awards were presented during the event, not as a separate online campaign, and nominees were playable in São Paulo. That physical exhibition gave visitors a direct way to compare shortlisted work and demonstrated the festival’s continued focus on games from Brazil, Latin America, and elsewhere. The program was not limited to business-to-business meetings: it was ticketed to the public and designed as a show where players could encounter releases and projects. At the same time, gamescom latam offered an area for industry networking and meetings, carrying forward an important BIG Festival function for developers and publishers. The event’s location is significant: São Paulo is Brazil’s largest city and the country’s center for game businesses, while São Paulo Expo is a large exhibition complex in the city. In 2025, the second gamescom latam returned to São Paulo Expo from April 30 through May 4, moving the calendar from June to late April and early May. Organizers reported 131,854 visitors for that edition, a marked increase over the launch year. The 2025 program again included the BIG Festival Awards and exhibition space for playable games, keeping the predecessor’s identity visible within a wider regional gamescom platform.