How can builders in Latin America efficiently court docket traders? That was the query a panel of specialists got down to reply at Gamescom Latam 2025 in Might—and whereas their recommendation may need been geared in direction of creators within the South American area, we suspect it may show helpful for folks making video games past these borders.
DealMaker managing accomplice Arnaldo Rocha kicked off the session by explaining he’ll analyze an organization’s funding potential by assessing quite a few variable reminiscent of whether or not a staff has the expertise and band width to ship and adapt when new alternatives and issues come up.
He suggests the sport business is ripe with firms which can be capable of obtain preliminary success—however delivering constant wins stays a problem.
“We generally discover unimaginable groups and unimaginable merchandise, however with out growing a sustainable imaginative and prescient for the enterprise and the way the corporate will face down its opponents,” he explains.
“The staff may need thought of that subconsciously however can not talk it successfully. If they appear uncertain or can not clarify that (side of the enterprise) properly, no one goes to to speculate.” He additionally advises groups searching for funding to again up their phrases with arduous knowledge with out “over speaking” their marketing strategy.
Rocha believes firm founders can develop into fixated on speaking pointless particulars that are not related to traders in the present day—reminiscent of the place the business or their product could be in 5 years. As an alternative, he advises groups to concentrate on demonstrating the place their earnings will come from to underline the “monetary robustness” of their proposition.
“You want to have the ability to exhibit the place your earnings will come from,” he says. “Is it due to retention or gross sales or purchasers? Adequately describing your ‘wealth creation engine.’ It’s good to have a product—however this may be an preliminary product that may be developed and adjusted over time.”
He additionally tells builders in Brazil particularly to foster ambitions of going world. Do not simply accept success on house soil, as a result of potential traders will doubtless need to know their companions are wanting to ship outcomes on a bigger scale.
“What are you attempting to construct and why does this matter to you?”
Sandsoft CEO David Fernandez Remesal largely agrees with Rocha’s evaluation. He explains the cellular writer chooses its companions based mostly on how they’re constructing their video games—which implies analyzing the expertise they’re utilizing and the industrial viability of their challenge.
“Principally as a writer we’re wanting on the synergies these studios can have with our firm. We’re extra centered on acquisitions so we’re involved about how we will retain expertise and construct long-term alternatives,” he added.
He claims the most typical mistake builders make when pitching Sandsoft is spending an excessive amount of time speaking financials versus spotlighting the sport itself. Pitches, he says, should reply some basic questions: What are you attempting to construct and why does this matter to you? What are the capabilities you’ve gotten proper now that may mean you can ship on that imaginative and prescient? And at last, is that this going to be a commercially viable idea?
Remesal implores builders to method traders having already recognized their target market. He feels devs usually fall into the entice of creating a online game that appeals to them. That may work every now and then, however he says traders will need to know the way you are going to appeal to a big client viewers—and whether or not that playerbase truly exists.
As well as, he warns pitches can crumble when builders overexpose their KPIs as a substitute of speaking their enterprise case in a approach that feels centered and digestible.
Particularly, he tells builders to tailor their pitch all the way down to concentrate on “wants” and “dangers” to keep away from making a deck that feels scattershot. Ignoring the necessity for advertising and marketing is one other cardinal sin within the eyes of Remesal. “(I usually see) groups considering they will develop video games which can be commercially profitable with out the precise advertising and marketing talents,” he provides. “They consider the title, however not how they will commercialize afterwords.”
“It’s good to have a coherent story with a product on the middle”
Samuel Veloso, an early stage investor at Maya Capital, picks up that thread and explains it is vital for an organization’s development journey to be “defendable.”
“It’s good to have a coherent story with a product on the middle, and be able to explaining why folks need this product to exist,” he says. “Have the numbers to show it so we will verify and backtest your imaginative and prescient. That imaginative and prescient must mirror the current—the story you have written thus far—and the long run. We have to purchase into your imaginative and prescient and perceive why it may materialize.”
Very like Remesal, he says there are some basic questions a pitch ought to reply together with “Why this staff?” and “How are you going to develop a enterprise round this product?”. Contemplating the previous is especially important as a result of it is crucial to understanding why potential traders will need to again you as creatives.
Veloso claims probably the most impactful pitches he is seen have been “shameful” by way of the amount of data they contained—and that is an exquisite factor.
“(These pitches) have been quite simple,” he explains. “They used easy on a regular basis analogies so all people may join with that. I’ve by no means seen a full, complicated pitch throughout a primary assembly. That is for in a while. What occurs is that you will have an excessive amount of to cowl and you will lose depth. You must go away room for the staff to shine. Monetary points will likely be mentioned later if these early conversations go properly.”
Recreation Developer was invited to Gamescom Latam by occasion accomplice Abragames, which coated flights and lodging.
