Last week, WALGA took part in the Belgian princely economic mission to Brazil, with Christophe Laduron and Gaël Gilson from Haute Ecole Albert Jacquard and their start-up Polygon Valley Studio, Belgian-Brazilian studio Mite Jeux / Mito Games with Rafael Texeira, and two representatives from video mapping studio Dirty Monitor.
The mission began on Monday November 25 with a meeting at the Municipality of São Paulo. During the morning, organized in collaboration with the SPCinethe local audiovisual fund which has a department dedicated to video game creation, presentations of their activities, as well as those of the Belgian representatives, were given to around twenty representatives of studios, schools and service companies in the video game sector in the São Paulo region. They were also given the opportunity to briefly present their activities. The presentations were followed by an opportunity for discussion and exchange, to gain a better understanding of each country's ecosystems and explore possible future collaborations.
The following day, a day of presentations and meetings was organized by WALGA, with the participation of some twenty local players, many of whom we had met before the mission, but who were able to discover in depth the advantages Wallonia has to offer. The morning began with a presentation of the video game ecosystem in Wallonia by WALGA. It was then the turn of the Paulistas studios to present themselves and the local industry association.
The afternoon was devoted entirely to the opportunities offered by the Walloon delegation. The first part was devoted to financial aid, with a presentation of the Tax Shelter by Michela Ritondo, representative of the Belgian Ministry of Finance, and of the European funds for which Brazilian schools and companies are eligible, by Francisco of NCP Wallonia. The second part of the afternoon was devoted to academic activities, with a presentation of the HEAJ and the opportunities for Brazilian studios to host Belgian trainees. Then, the international aspect was addressed, with a presentation of next year's Abragames program and Meet & Build by WALGA.
The day was held a second time in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, with various studios, companies and industry association representatives from the Rio de Janeiro region... But that's not all! Representatives of the industry association and Sebrae, the public support organization for very small businesses, from the state of Bahia and a studio specializing in XR from the state of Minas Gerais were also present. It was an opportunity for them and other participants from the Rio region to learn more about the video game ecosystem in Wallonia and the financial incentives available to support collaborations.
The week ended in style with a reception at Rio's Palacio da Cidade on Friday afternoon, attended by Princess Astrid, the Minister-President of the Brussels Region, the Vice-Mayor of Rio and hundreds of participants from both countries, including many journalists. A dozen video games representing the creativity and cultural richness of both countries were presented. Speeches emphasized the importance of skills exchange and possible collaboration between players from both countries.
A interview with Jean GrébanWALGA's coordinator, was produced by The Gaming Era, the leading media outlet specializing in professional news for the video game industry in Brazil. The Belgian press also covered the event extensively, with articles in the RTBF, La Libre, Paris Match Belgium and La DH.
