Category Archives: Brazil

As part of ongoing attempts to expand their user-base, Sony is to begin manufacturing PlayStation 3 consoles in Brazil and will offer fully localized versions of upcoming titles day-and-date with their worldwide launches.

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The Walking Dead has finally made it to consoles in a couple of patient territories – Australia, Brazil and New Zealand. Although TellTale released the game locally on iOS, Mac and PC, the console versions were put on hold over classification concerns, which, as it happens, may have been misplaced, as Australian officials elected to go with an MA15+ rating rather than the shiny new R18+ sticker. In any case, the episodic adventure is available in full on PlayStation 3 in all three territories and on Xbox 360 in Australia and New Zealand.

Thanks, PlayerAttack.

Eurogamer Network has undergone a name change to reflect its recently global expansion into new territories. Say hello to Gamer Network.

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Nintendo has nominated four problematic territories in an appeal to the US government to counter video game piracy.

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Forge Of Empires developer InnoGames has expanded into Brazil, in a move to capitalise on the growth of the Brazilian games market.

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Valve and UOL BoaCompra has announced Steam will now accept Brazilian Reais for purchases starting with Boleto as a payment method. Other local payment methods are planned for the coming months, provided by BoaCompra, and include deposits, account transfers, PagSegura and local credit cards. Valve said the addition of support for payment methods in Brazil is part of an effort to “make payment simple for users everywhere.”

Sony has announced it will attend the fifth annual Brazil Game Show and will bring along God of War: Ascension, Little Big Planet Karting, Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale and Sports Champions 2. The show is the largest in Latin America and entirely focused on showcasing the national games industry and market. Other confirmed exhibitors include: Activision, Codemasters, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Riot Games, and Warner Brothers. The Brazil Game Show – or Brasil if you are Portuguese – takes place From October 11 to October 14 in São Paulo. Thanks, GI International.

Zynga’s told VG247 it has settled with Brazilian social games start-up Vostu over copyright claims that the latter infringed the company’s “creative works.”

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It looks as though Skype will be made available on Vita when it releases, just as with the PSP, according to a demonstration of the handheld in Brazil.

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The ESA has named Brazil, China, France, Italy and Spain as the five countries with “extraordinarily high” levels of online game piracy.

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Microsoft has announced that nine more countries are to join Xbox Live

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Brazilian Senator Valdir Raupp has proposed a bill that would make it illegal to create, distribute, or import what he calls “offensive” videogames in the country.

According to Brazilian website UOL (via GamePolitics), the Education Commission of the Senate has approved the bill, and it has now gone into the Committee on Constitution and Justice for a vote.

The Senator’s motives for the proposal are to “curb the manufacture, distribution, importation, distribution, trading and custody, storage, the videogames that affect the customs, traditions of the people, their worship, creeds, religions and symbols.”

“Therefore, we seek to protect the principle of equality – for many the greatest of constitutional principles – with the characterization of such discriminatory conduct as a crime by making provision in the law,” he said.

Having previously banned games like Carmageddon, GTA and Postal, if passed, the bill could penalize offenders with one to three years of imprisonment.

Funnily enough, although probably only coincidental, Brazil has a rather large population of German descendants in the southern part of the country, although probably not as many as Argentina.

More through the link.

SCEA announced today that Brazilians will finally be able to get their hands on a PS2 along with 14 gaming titles.

Get this – the console will run folks R$799 ($445) and games will cost R$119 ($66) and R$99 ($55).

Why so much? According to 1UP, the import taxes have been set at are around 60 percent since the mid-1990s.

No wonder piracy is rampant there.

Full PR through the break with thanks to mojo as well.

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Zeebo, the 3G-enabled console announced at GDC this year, has gone live in Brazil, Engadget reports.

The system’s on sale for Brazilian $499 (around $299) and ships with FIFA 2009, Need For Speed Carbon, and Brain Training, in memory.

Buyers also get credit for three free downloads: Prey Evil, Quake, and Quake II.

The machine includes a free 3G connection via Claro, enabling additional game downloads in the Brazilian $7-30 ($3-13) range.

More through there.

Microsoft Brazil, apparently speaking at a community event at the firm’s offices in São Paulo, has shown what looks to be a partially covered Forza logo in a line-up of games hitting at the end of the year.

Watch the video after the break. The logo pops up on the screen at 6:58, and it met by whistles and cheers from the audience.

Real? If not, someone’s gone to a hell of a lot of pain to construct a fake Microsoft demonstration, complete with Microsoft lecturn.

As far as we’re aware, the game’s a cert for 2009 and should be announced at E3.

Thanks, Forza Central.

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A new console was announced at GDC yesterday, a 3G-enabled box packing a punch somewhere between a PSone and a PS2, according to maker Zeebo. Here’s its home site.

Zeebo plans to launch its “video game console for the next billion” in Brazil next month for $199 and in other countries later this year for $179.

The discless box is aimed at developing countries and is a little larger than a Wii, apparently.

Zeebo CEO John Rizzo said the machine isn’t meant to directly compete with the likes of PS3 and Xbox 360, but rather give consumers in India, China, Brazil and Eastern Europe – those who generally can’t afford the latest high-end consoles, or the games published for them – a bite at the gaming cherry, so to speak.

In many of these countries, cell phone service is more readily available and cheaper than wired broadband, said Rizzo.

One word: Phantom.

“Launching a new console is not for the faint of heart,” Rizzo said.

Live the dream, dude. Get lots more on Yahoo.

Ubisoft’s bought “Brazil’s longest-standing independent video game developer,” Southlogic Studios.

The 20-strong studio’s a Jack of all trades, performing both title and outsourcing functions. It most recently coded indubitable DS powerhouse, Imagine: Wedding Designer.

“We have been delighted with our collaboration with Ubisoft on their Imagine line of games,” said Southlogic founder Christian Lykawka.

“The entire Southlogic team is excited about the potential for growth and development as part of Ubisoft Sao Paulo, and having our creations reach players throughout the world.”

Press release after the link.

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Diablo Battle Chest makes a triumphant return to the US PC sales charts following the announcement of Diablo III at the Blizzard Invitional in Paris, but it only manages second place to The Sims 2: IKEA Home Stuff at number one. Top ten below:

1. The Sims 2 IKEA Home Stuff
2. Diablo Battle Chest
3. Spore Creature Creator
4. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe
5. World Of Warcraft: Battle Chest
6. World Of Warcraft
7. Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures
8. World Of Warcraft: Burning Crusade
9. The Sims 2 FreeTime
10. Warcraft III Battle Chest

Thanks, Kotaku.

By Mike Bowden

Update: It’s just been announced. Press release after the link.

According to this Jogos piece (in Portuguese), Ubi is opening a new development studio called Ubisoft São Paulo in Brazil.

The outfit will focus on DS games for girls between 8 and 14. Apparently, there are also plans to open new studios in Rio de Janeiro and Florianópolis.

Thanks, Evil Avatar.

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According to numerous reports, Bully’s been banned in Brazil. Apparently, Judge Flavio Rabello has ordered the suspension of all sales of the title in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southern most province.

“The aggravating factor is that everything in [Bully] takes place inside a school,” said Rio Grande do Sul state prosecutor Alcindo Bastos. “That is not acceptable.”

So there we are.