President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed, on October 14, 2026, the decree regulating Law No. 14,852/2024, Brazil's Legal Framework for the Electronic Games Industry (Marco Legal dos Jogos Eletrônicos), according to CNN Brasil and the outlet ndmais.com.br. The decree translates the 2024 law into concrete financing, training and promotion mechanisms for the sector.
What the decree changes
The central legal change is that electronic games are now formally recognized as audiovisual works and cultural products. That reclassification gives game studios access to funding tools previously reserved mostly for film and television, namely the Rouanet Law, the Audiovisual Law, and the Audiovisual Sector Fund (FSA), CNN Brasil and ndmais.com.br reported.
Under a new mechanism dubbed "Rouanet Games" by several outlets, developers can seek sponsorships for projects through the Rouanet Law framework in partnership with public companies, extending a cultural-incentive tool long used in film and music to the gaming sector, according to ndmais.com.br.
Credit lines and the R$200 million package
The government announced a R$200 million package to finance game development and related digital projects. Of this, R$200 million is channeled through Finep (Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos), the innovation-financing arm of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, using resources from the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development (FNDCT), to be distributed via a competitive public call, CNN Brasil and ndmais.com.br reported.
The Ministry of Culture is separately opening two R$50 million calls for proposals, one for game-development laboratories and another supporting independent games, according to ndmais.com.br. Ancine, the national film agency that administers the FSA, is also adjusting the terms of its credit line for the sector, offering reduced interest rates and lower minimum loan amounts than before, though the outlets reviewed did not provide identical figures for the new rate and threshold, so the exact terms should be confirmed against Ancine's official rules once published.
Game Brasil platform and education
The decree also creates Game Brasil, a free public platform coordinated with the Ministry of Culture that will catalog funding calls, financing programs and information about games developed in Brazil, consolidating resources that were previously scattered, CNN Brasil reported. The outlet cited an initial investment of R$1.4 million for the platform.
On the education side, the Ministry of Education will create undergraduate programs in digital games at five federal universities, one in each region of the country, offering 230 initial slots, according to CNN Brasil and ggames.com.br.
Separately, the regulation defines esports as "a competitive sporting manifestation" governed by established rules and performance criteria, according to the gaming outlet ggames.com.br, though the article noted that the practical effect of this classification will depend on how associated norms are implemented.
Why the industry matters economically
Brazil's domestic game-development sector has grown substantially over the past decade. The number of active development studios rose from about 200 in 2014 to more than 1,000 by 2023, according to research by Abragames (the Brazilian Association of Digital Game Developers) in partnership with ApexBrasil, cited by Diário do Comércio. The same research put the sector's annual development revenue at approximately R$1.2 billion, while Brazil's broader gaming market — including consumer spending on games, hardware and services — moves roughly R$13 billion a year. Diário do Comércio also reported that 58% of Brazilian game-development companies already sell internationally.
Key figures in the October 2026 games regulation| Program | Amount / detail | Source |
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| Finep credit line | R$200 million via competitive public call, FNDCT resources | CNN Brasil, ndmais.com.br |
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| Ministry of Culture calls | Two editals of R$50 million each (labs; independent games) | ndmais.com.br |
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| Game Brasil platform | Initial investment of R$1.4 million | CNN Brasil |
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| University programs | 230 slots at 5 federal universities, one per region | CNN Brasil, ggames.com.br |
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| Brazilian studios (2023) | Over 1,000 active studios, up from ~200 in 2014 | Diário do Comércio / Abragames-ApexBrasil |
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| Development-sector revenue | Approx. R$1.2 billion a year (2023 data) | Diário do Comércio / Abragames-ApexBrasil |
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Lula framed the measures as part of a broader push for Brazil to develop and export technology and creative output rather than relying mainly on commodities, according to CNN Brasil. Culture Minister Margareth Menezes said the sector is strategic for audiovisual development and culture and can generate employment, income and international competitiveness, ndmais.com.br reported.
Questions
- What did Lula's decree on games actually regulate?
- It regulates Law No. 14,852/2024, Brazil's Legal Framework for Electronic Games, by recognizing games as audiovisual and cultural works and creating implementing rules for funding, education and promotion of the sector, according to CNN Brasil and ndmais.com.br.
- How much credit is available to game developers under the new rules?
- A R$200 million public call will be run through Finep using FNDCT resources, plus two R$50 million culture-ministry editals and adjusted, lower-interest credit terms through Ancine's Audiovisual Sector Fund, per CNN Brasil and ndmais.com.br.
- What is Game Brasil?
- Game Brasil is a free public platform, coordinated with the Ministry of Culture, that catalogs funding calls and promotes Brazilian-made games; CNN Brasil reported an initial investment of R$1.4 million.
- Does the decree affect esports?
- Yes. According to ggames.com.br, the decree defines esports as a competitive sporting manifestation with established rules and performance criteria, though the practical impact depends on further implementing norms.
- How big is Brazil's game-development industry today?
- Research by Abragames and ApexBrasil, cited by Diário do Comércio, counted more than 1,000 active development studios in 2023, up from about 200 in 2014, generating roughly R$1.2 billion a year, within a broader national gaming market of about R$13 billion.
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