LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 29, 2026--
Xsolla, a leading global video game commerce company, today announced the release of State of the LATAM Games Industry 2026, an exclusive industry report produced by GamesBeat and sponsored by Xsolla. The report provides a comprehensive analysis of Latin America's gaming market, examining the forces shaping player behavior, monetization, development, and esports across the region's most influential markets. The report is being released ahead of gamescom latam, taking place in São Paulo, Brazil, from April 30 to May 2, 2026.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260429736966/en/
Curated by the GamesBeat editorial team, the report explores how Latin America is shifting from a high-growth opportunity to a strategic priority for publishers, developers, and investors. With a combined player ecosystem of more than 335 million, the region is redefining how games scale globally, not just where they launch.
The report is structured around three core pillars of Latin America's gaming ecosystem:
The report also features an interview with Xsolla’s LATAM Area Vice President, Alessandro Biollo Menjivar, who offers a perspective on the structural dynamics shaping market entry and long-term success in the region. Biollo addresses localization as a strategic imperative, the role of payment infrastructure in conversion, and how evolving regulatory frameworks signal market maturation rather than a barrier.
"Latin America is often treated as a single, uniform market, when the truth is it's one of the most diverse regions on the planet," said Alessandro Biollo Menjivar, Area Vice President, Xsolla LATAM. "The studios that succeed here are the ones that invest in genuinely understanding each market rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach."
Within the report are five identifiable macro forces defining the regional landscape: mobile-first adoption driven by economic accessibility; monetization models shaped by affordability and trust; genre preferences built around social play and competitive identity; esports as cultural infrastructure rather than an entertainment category; and a growing indie development scene producing work with global reach.
“Latin America represents one of the most dynamic and culturally distinct gaming ecosystems in the world, and this report reflects the depth of our commitment to the region. Xsolla has long invested in understanding the payment infrastructure, monetization realities, and player behavior, defining markets like Brazil and Mexico. Partnering with GamesBeat to document this moment gives the industry a clearer picture of where Latin America is headed and how to build there with intention," said Berkley Egenes, Chief Marketing & Growth Officer at Xsolla.
Additional featured voices include Damon Alberts and Eduardo Gottschald of Big Moxi Games, a Porto Alegre-based studio building toward triple-A capability by leveraging Latin American development talent and operational efficiency, as well as the development team behind Despelote, among others.
A full copy of The State of the LATAM Games Industry 2026 report is now available for download. Visit: https://get.itexpertresource.com/gamesbeat/xsolla/lp/unlocking-the-future-of-video-games-in-latin-america/
To read more about GamesBeat’s report sponsored by Xsolla, visit: https://xsolla.pro/gb-latam-report
About Xsolla
Xsolla is a global commerce company that builds and provides all the things developers need to launch, grow, and monetize video games. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, the company supports studios of every size, from indie to AAA, with solutions across direct-to-consumer commerce, intelligent payments, entertainment-based IP, and player engagement products. Xsolla helps developers fund, distribute, market, and monetize their games at scale. Trusted by more than 60% of the top 100 highest-grossing games, Xsolla operates as the merchant of record across 200+ geographies with access to over 1,000+ local payment methods worldwide. Grounded in a deep belief in the future of gaming, Xsolla is resolute in bringing opportunities together and unlocking growth for creators everywhere.
For more information, visit xsolla.com
Berkley Egenes, Chief Marketing & Growth Officer at Xsolla
Alessandro Biollo Menjivar, Area Vice President, Xsolla LATAM
Graphic: Xsolla
WASHINGTON (AP) — Skeptical Democrats confronted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Wednesday for the first time since the Trump administration went to war with Iran, touching off tense exchanges over a costly conflict with unclear objectives that has been waged without congressional approval.
The hearing before the House Armed Services Committee was focused on the administration's 2027 military budget proposal, which would boost defense spending to a historic $1.5 trillion. Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, stressed the need for more drones, missile defense systems and warships.
Democrats quickly pivoted to the ballooning costs of the war, the huge drawdown of critical U.S. munitions and the bombing of a school that killed children. Some lawmakers also questioned Trump's dealings with allies and President Donald Trump's shifting justification for the conflict.
The war has cost $25 billion so far, the chief financial official for the Pentagon told lawmakers. Jules Hurst III, the acting undersecretary of war for finances, said most of that money was spent on munitions. The military has also spent money on running the operations and replacing equipment.
Hegseth dismissed criticism of the war as political and said lawmakers who have raised questions about it are one of the greatest challenges facing the U.S. military.
“The biggest challenge, the biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless, feckless and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans,” Hegseth said.
In one tense exchange, Hegseth told Democratic Rep. Adam Smith that Iran’s nuclear facilities were obliterated in a 2025 attack by the U.S., prompting Smith to question the Trump administration’s reasoning for starting the Iran war less than a year later.
“We had to start this war, you just said 60 days ago, because the nuclear weapon was an imminent threat,” said Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. “Now you’re saying that it was completely obliterated?”
Hegseth responded by saying that Iran “had not given up their nuclear ambitions” and still had thousands of missiles.
Smith said the war “left us at exactly the same place we were before.”
Democrats accused Hegseth of mismanaging the war and lying to Americans about the reasons for the conflict and said rising gas prices are now threatening the pocketbooks of millions of people in the U.S.
“Secretary Hegseth, you have been lying to the American public about this war from day one and so has the president,” said Rep. John Garamendi of California, who called the war “a geopolitical calamity," a “strategic blunder" and a ”self-inflicted wound to America."
Hegseth blasted Garamandi's remarks.
“Who are you cheering for here?” he asked the lawmaker. ”Your hatred for President Trump blinds you” to the success of the war.
While a fragile ceasefire is now in place, the U.S. and Israel launched the war Feb. 28 without congressional oversight. House and Senate Democrats have failed to pass multiple war power resolutions that would have required President Donald Trump to halt the conflict until Congress authorizes further action.
Republicans say they will keep faith in Trump’s wartime leadership, for now, citing Iran’s nuclear program, the potential for talks to resume and the high stakes of withdrawal. Still, GOP lawmakers are eager for the conflict to end, and some are eyeing future votes that could become an important test for the president if the war drags on.
While Democrats pressed Hegseth and Caine over Iran, Republicans focused their questions on the Department of Defense's budget proposal, not the management of the war.
Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the committee, opened the hearing by noting Trump's call to increase military spending. He pointed to recent increases in defense spending by China, Russia and Iran.
“We don’t have enough munitions, ships, aircraft or autonomous systems to ensure dominance against every adversary," Rogers said. “They are spending more of their GDP on defense than we are.”
Iran's closing of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping corridor for the world's oil, has sent fuel prices skyrocketing and posed problems for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections. The U.S. has responded with a Navy blockade of Iranian shipping and further built up its military forces in the region. Three American aircraft carriers are in the Middle East for the first time in more than 20 years.
The countries appear locked in a stalemate, with Trump unlikely to accept Tehran's latest offer to reopen the strait if the U.S. ends the war, lifts its sea blockade and postpones nuclear talks.
Hegseth has avoided public questioning from lawmakers about the war, although he and Caine have held televised Pentagon briefings. Hegseth has mostly taken questions from conservative journalists, while citing Bible passages to castigate mainstream outlets.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth appears before a House Committee on Armed Services business meeting on the Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2027, on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey Jr.)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth appears before a House Committee on Armed Services business meeting on the Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2027 on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey Jr.)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth appears before a House Committee on Armed Services business meeting on the Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2027 on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey Jr.)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth appears before a House Committee on Armed Services business meeting on the Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2027 on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey Jr.)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine speaks to members of the media during a press briefing at the Pentagon, Thursday, April 16, 2026 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
