Brazil’s BIG Festival takes its indie-gaming event online

Some indie games are small, but some are BIG. That is to say that they are “Brazilian indie games.” And to continue shining a light on that scene, organizers of Brazil’s Independent Game Festival (BIG Fest) are moving the celebration online with BIG Digital Edition 2020.

BIG Fest is the largest independent games event in Latin America. And the Brazilian Independent Game Companies Association doesn’t want to overlook the work smaller studios in the region are doing. That led to the decision to go with a digital event like Pocket Gamer Connects Digital and GamesBeat’s own GamesBeat Summit.

“BIG Digital will be fundamental to help with the export of games and services from Brazilian game companies,” Brazil Games boss Eliana Russi said. “Organizing meetings with publishers, buyers, and international investors will be essential to guarantee the growth of the Brazilian game industry, even during this difficult moment that we are all going through.”

Of course, one of the benefits of an industry event is to facilitate peer networking. That is more difficult in a digital environment, where people often wearing sweatpants where the webcam cannot see. But to encourage those connections for BIG Digital, organizers are building online matchmaking into the event.

“Our matchmaking tool has been adapted and developed to book and hold online face-to-face meetings,” BIG Digital director Gustavo Steinberg said.

This could help business get done in an environment where that is more challenging than ever.

Going forward, Brazil Games plans to bring back its in-person gatherings. A physical BIG Fest will return in the event that the world contains the COVID-19 pandemic. That BIG Fest begins January 27, and runs through January 31 in São Paulo.

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