What Coffee, pão de queijo, Japan, and Memes Can Tell Us About Localization for Brazil

Before diving right into your read, I invite you to immerse yourself in the Brazilian culture with the playlist “Keep calm and listen to Brazilian music”, specially created to set the mood for this article.

Localizing your game into Brazilian Portuguese can significantly enhance its success in this booming gaming market.

Let’s explore in greater detail the key reasons to undertake a localization strategy tailored for Brazil!

Brazil boasts one of the most passionate and dynamic gaming cultures in the world, where millions of players engage with games not just as entertainment but as a way of life.

The country’s audience is fueled by creativity, community, and an ever-growing appetite for innovation. Brazilian gamers bring unmatched enthusiasm to the industry, whether it’s the excitement of competitive play or just for fun.

Localizing games into players’ native languages is a key success factor for most game releases, but I dare to say that Brazilians are especially likely to buy, play, and invest thousands of hours in a title if our (Brazilian gamer and localizer writing here, folks!) unique variant of Portuguese is among the language options.

First, it’s an undeniably lucrative market: according to data from the Statista, the Brazilian audience generated over 5.78 billion dollars of revenue in 2023 - thanks to the approximately 90 millions players.

Second, this is an ever-growing public - 80% having reported an interest in games, representing the fifth largest market by number of players (in 2022, according to Newzoo’s surveys), and half of the population covered watching video game-related content.

Finally, Brazilians have a clear preference for mobile digital experiences, as proved by Grand View Research through data from 2024.

Apptweak brings us more invaluable insight in this regard:

a) most users use Android devices – due to the overinflated prices of iOS practiced in the country;

b) localized games and apps prevail in the top charts in Brazil.

We’ll soon understand some particular elements to avoid overlooking when localizing content in Brazilian Portuguese, but let’s first take a brief step back and restate why localization is paramount for developers and companies that aim to create a solid and reliable reputation with their users.

Enhanced User Experience (UX): let’s bring digital media to daily analog situations.

Any Brazilian can tell you about why we choose to buy coffee and “cheese bread” (a truly Brazilian experience) from the local bakery – which values our loyalty, communicates clearly, and offers the produce we want – rather than from another one that doesn’t really care for customer satisfaction and offers options that don’t spark affection.

The same is valid for digital experiences! People tend to go back to what speaks to their hearts and offers the best conditions to live that experience in an immersive, natural, and smooth fashion.

• Increased Revenue Potential: time for another mental exercise!

Imagine you are visiting a foreign country (which means, as a consequence, a different language and culture) and decide to explore some shops in the area where you’re staying.

It’s already hard enough to know your way around a new city in your own country, but in a foreign one?! Things can get confusing pretty quickly.

Now picture this: you decide to give one of the shops a go and, with all your touristy bravado, are happily surprised to find a clerk who speaks your language and is dying to practice it with you. What a solace amidst all the novelty!

Back to our digital landscape, 43% of Brazilian gamers are willing to spend money on video games, indicating a strong market for in-game purchases and premium content. Newzoo’s breaks down what motivates gamers to do so:

• Unlocking extra content;
• Personalizing characters;
• Enhancing the gaming experience;
• Playing with friends or family;
• And accessing subscriptions.
• Competitive Advantage: you guessed it right! Our final creative exercise for today.

Offering a localized version can set your game apart from competitors who have not invested in localization.

Now imagine finding a bakery in Japan (given the two previous examples) that serves true Brazilian coffee and pão de queijo (the “cheese bread”) for Brazilians who miss the homely smell of these treats and – as if that wasn’t enough – had at least one server who spoke Brazilian Portuguese.

A real market differentiation, huh?

For companies concerned about building a positive brand perception, a one-size-fits-all approach to localization is not the answer.

On the other hand, studying, surveying, and investing in diverse campaigns that take location and language into account ensure your branding aligns with your audience's goals, challenges, and needs based on their region.

• Word-of-mouth marketing: one of the most effective marketing strategies you can implement is to deliver an exceptional user experience. Even though digital marketing plays an essential role in today’s industries, word-of-mouth promotion still works as it always has.

It helps your brand to build trust and harness cost-effective promotion, and it still is the primary factor behind 20-50% of all purchasing decisions according to a study by Nielsen. There’s no better way to promote good word-of-mouth than having local consumers speak about your game with their friends and other family members.

• Community creation: Localized content plays a pivotal role in fostering a sense of community and loyalty among players, which in turn encourages word-of-mouth promotion (driving us back to the previous point).

In the end, every point brought out here circles back to another one - everything is intertwined, and paying attention to each of them offers your company a higher chance of being successful in new markets.

As it happens with any other culture, Brazilian Portuguese has its own local cultural references, humor (with a special spot in our hearts for never-ending memes), and idioms - which, all combined, resonate with users.

Take a look at the following basic checklist and make sure to include localization in your strategic planning from the beginning – whenever possible!

• Special characters and lengthier copy: Yes, we use the Latin alphabet. But there are special letters, such as the “cedilha” (ç), acute accents in all our vowels (a, e, i, o, u), circumflex accents (â, ê, ô), the “til” accent (ã, õ), and one grave accent still in use (à).

Remember to choose a font that supports your special accents and letters so that your game’s text is not broken and, as a consequence, becomes incomprehensible to players.

• Brazilian Portuguese is not European Portuguese. Let me say that again: even if our language derives from Portuguese and we can understand each other oftentimes, the words we use, our accent, and cultures can be very distant – let’s not even mention slang!

Each country deserves special attention – that’s how customers feel (even if they don’t know the reasons why) you invested resources in them.

• Currency, time, and date formats: discuss with developers what’s the best option to support different currencies, time and date formats in-game and in game-related materials. This is not only valid for Brazilian Portuguese but also for any language that doesn’t follow the source language’s metric system.

• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015)

The Witcher 3 is one of the most critically acclaimed RPGs ever, achieving massive success worldwide, including Brazil. It has been recognized by over 200 game of the year (GOTY) awards, and after its publishers grasped the vast potential offered by the Brazilian market, they decided to invest heavily in this audience.

Unlike many games that rely solely on subtitles, CD Projekt Red invested in full voice acting with talented Brazilian actors, ensuring a natural and immersive experience. That’s one of the reasons why its success in Brazil is a testament to the power of high-quality localization and cultural adaptation.

A study published in ResearchGate tells us that localization, encompassing translation and voice acting, significantly impacts player immersion and storytelling. Another article by MultiLingual highlights the importance of localized content for Brazilian gamers, noting their desire for complete comprehension and immersion in gaming experiences.

From a global perspective, The Witcher 3's success can be attributed to its meticulous attention to detail,stunning visuals, and extensive post-launch support. CD Projekt Red continued improving the game with patches, free content updates, and two massive expansions - Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine - which added even more depth and longevity to the experience.

Overall, the game’s efforts to captivate specific audiences, such as the Brazilian one, and the rich storytelling and sense of agency felt by players amounted to a high-quality and engaging game experience. This approach helped Brazilian gamers fully engage with the game’s complex characters and emotional depth, rather than struggling with awkward translations.

• League of Legends (2009)

League of Legends (LoL) has experienced remarkable success in Brazil, becoming a cornerstone of the country's flourishing esports scene. Several key factors have contributed to this phenomenon, such as:

- Localization and Cultural Relevance

Brazil stands as the largest esports market in Latin America, with titles like League of Legends, CS:GO, and Rainbow Six enjoying immense popularity.

According to data from the Esports Insider, the country has taken another significant step towards regulating one of the biggest esports scenes in the world, by inviting the public to share its opinion on the subject.

Since 2023, Brazil is the fifth largest esports market worldwide. Such data restates what we suspected: that offering players experiences in their own language only plays to the publishers’ favor.

Statista also predicts that the revenue in the Esports market is projected to reach US$116.0m in 2025 in Brazil.

- The Brazilian Championship of League of Legends and Local fans

The Brazilian LoL community is known for its passion and active participation.

Grassroots initiatives, local tournaments, and community events have fostered a vibrant ecosystem that supports both amateur and professional players.

An incredible example of this is AfroReggae, an NGO based in Rio de Janeiro, launched AfroGames, the world's first training center for esports athletes located in a favela.

Additionally, prominent figures within the community have created independent tournaments that blend high-level competition with entertainment. Gustavo “Baiano” Gomes, a leading Twitch streamer, organized CBOLÃO, an unofficial tournament that attracted over 1 million unique viewers and raised substantial funds for charitable causes.

What’s really cool about it is the creation of communities and social initiatives that are born in synergy with the interests of young people and players in general and manage to integrate esports into Brazilian communities. Such efforts exemplify how individual community members can create engaging events that resonate with fans and support broader societal goals.

- International Representation and Aspirations

Brazilian teams' participation in international tournaments has galvanized national pride and interest in LoL.

Veteran player Felipe "brTT" Gonçalves highlighted the challenges, noting that while Brazilian teams often dominate domestically by minimizing mistakes, they struggle internationally due to a lack of proactivity. He emphasized the need for Brazilian teams to be more proactive on the world stage to achieve better results.

While challenges remain in achieving top-tier international success, the presence of Brazilian teams on the world stage continues to inspire local players and fans.

In this article, we’ve analyzed some data and discussed that Brazil is one of the largest gaming markets – with millions of players willing to spend on localized content.

Little by little, it becomes clear that customers want to be heard, seen, and cared for.

A well-thought localization strategy, implemented from the beginning of a game’s project, is capable of delivering user experiences,achieving high success rates, as well as promoting brand loyalty and user retention.

Besides that, going that extra mile usually is worth it. Understanding your audience in a way that your competitors fail to do is a market differentiator and a driver of customer satisfaction.

By tailoring games to align with players' linguistic and cultural contexts, developers create more immersive and relatable experiences. This cultural resonance enhances player satisfaction and engagement, leading to increased loyalty.

Remember: most localizers are also cultural consultants!

Include us in your market research, share insights with the whole team (from developers to translators), and don’t hesitate to ask for advice from professionals who are not only specialists in localization but also in their own cultures.

By following this framework, you can effectively plan how to tap into the Brazilian market – with enough support by relevant data and insights.