巴西总统卢拉签署法令规范电子游戏法律框架

Published Oct 14, 2026, 4:14 PM EDT

Tay Garcia is a Contributor at DualShockers and a Brazilian journalist who has been covering games professionally since 2017. Her work spans news, reviews, previews, lists, guides, and features, with a particular focus on horror, retro games, theories, puzzle games, Metroidvanias, Soulslikes, and story-driven titles.

Before joining DualShockers, Tay worked as an assistant editor and contributed to Jovem Nerd, one of Brazil’s largest pop culture outlets, as well as Editora Europa, a major Brazilian publisher known for gaming and technology magazines. She has also worked as a streamer, YouTube creator, and podcaster. Tay holds a B.A. in Journalism, has postgraduate training in Social Media, and is certified in professional video game journalism. She was also a member of Podcast UP, which won the Cubo de Ouro Award for Best Podcast in Brazil in 2021.

Brazil is already home to millions of passionate gamers, but turning that enthusiasm into a thriving game development industry takes more than a large audience. Local studios still need funding, visibility, and opportunities to compete with developers from around the world.

Now, the Brazilian government is taking another step toward supporting that side of the industry.

Brazil Is Bringing Cultural Funding to Game Development

On Wednesday, October 14, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a decree regulating Brazil's Marco Legal dos Jogos Eletrônicos (Legal Framework for Electronic Games), a law originally approved in May 2024.

According to CNN Brasil, this new measure recognizes video games as audiovisual works and cultural products, opening the door for developers to access government-backed funding mechanisms that were previously associated with other creative industries.

And that's not all. The announcement also includes a new public platform for Brazilian games, additional funding opportunities for startups, and plans to expand game development education at federal universities.

One of the most significant changes is that Brazilian game developers will be able to seek support through mechanisms such as the Lei Rouanet Games initiative, the Lei do Audiovisual (Brazil's Audiovisual Law), and the Fundo Setorial do Audiovisual (the Audiovisual Sector Fund). These programs can help finance creative projects, while the new framework also aims to improve access to credit with more favorable interest rates and repayment terms.

For readers unfamiliar with Brazil's cultural policies, the Lei Rouanet is a long-standing cultural incentive mechanism that allows approved projects to receive funding through tax incentives. In simplified terms, it helps channel resources toward cultural productions that might otherwise struggle to secure financing.

With games now explicitly included in this broader cultural framework, Brazilian developers have another potential way to fund their projects. And that means we gamers could see more incredible indie titles like Unsighted, Horizon Chase, Mullet Madjack, Kaze and the Wild Masks, and Blazing Chrome – and yeah, I bet you didn't even know these gems came from Brazilian studios!

Of course, this doesn't mean every studio will automatically receive government money. Developers will still need to follow the applicable rules and qualify for the relevant funding mechanisms. Still, recognizing games as cultural works could make a meaningful difference for studios looking to turn their ideas into finished products.

This new measure recognizes video games as audiovisual works and cultural products, opening the door for developers to access government-backed funding mechanisms that were previously associated with other creative industries.

Additionally, the government has announced Game Brasil, a public platform designed to catalog and promote games developed in the country. With an initial investment of R$1.4 million (approximately US$250,000), the initiative aims to give Brazilian productions a dedicated space to gain visibility.

And there's more support planned, too. Brazil's Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation will launch a R$200 million (roughly US$35 million) public funding call through Finep, the country's innovation and research funding agency, to support startups developing games and other innovative digital solutions.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education plans to introduce game-related undergraduate programs at five federal universities, one in each of Brazil's five regions. The initiative includes 230 planned places, creating additional opportunities for students who want to pursue careers in the industry.

It's worth noting that this decree builds on legislation Lula signed in May 2024, rather than introducing Brazil's first legal framework for games. The original law established the broader foundation, and this latest step regulates its implementation and helps put its support mechanisms into practice. And it's also worth keeping in mind that Brazil is in the middle of an election season this month, with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva running for another term as president.

Systems

Released

September 30, 2021

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes

Publisher(s)

Humble Games

Engine

Unity

Platform(s)

PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One

Developer

Studio Pixel Punk

Genre(s)

Action-Adventure

How Long To Beat

9 Hours

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty