Interpret, a leading entertainment, media and technology market research firm, today announced new findings from Free to Play Gaming in Brazil, a syndicated research report based on its global GameByte^® study. According to the report, Brazil is an increasingly promising opportunity market for free-to-play (F2P) games.

Over 51.5 million Brazilians age 13 to 65 play video games in general, and 17.2 million of those gamers play F2P games on PC. Between 2012 and 2013, the PC F2P gamer population grew 20%, as computer ownership, Internet penetration, household income, credit availability, and global F2P title offerings all expanded concurrently. Consequently, in 2013, F2P PC games in Brazil took in $470 million (USD). The majority of F2P revenues in 2013 came from in-game purchases, rather than optional premium memberships, indicating a preference for the microtransaction-based model.

The continued growth of Brazilian free-to-play PC games bears significance for international investors, game publishers, and developers. Traditional console game prices remain prohibitive for many Brazilians, partly due to tariffs and low median income. Mobile gaming is growing alongside F2P PC gaming, but competitive app markets and game localization costs pose serious challenges to traditionally low budget mobile game developers.

“F2P PC games are an ideal middle ground where motivated developers and publishers stand to gain from their efforts in Brazil,” says Jason Coston, Research Manager at Interpret. “The free-to-play business model aligns uniquely with the needs and resources of Brazilian gamers. Our data show that, in Brazil at least, the F2P PC market continues to offer great opportunities.”

About GameByte®

GameByte^® is a syndicated study designed to understand gaming adoption and behavior across multiple platforms in 10 global markets. Conducted twice a year, it includes attitude and behavior data for every relevant gaming business model, , including retail console games, PC games, downloadable game apps and in-app purchases, subscription MMOs, freemium online games, downloadable content (DLC) on consoles, casual games, and social games. The comprehensive sample includes kids 6-12 and teens/adults 13+, all from the US, UK, France, Germany, Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, and Russia. GameByte® is available as a subscription, or you can purchase individual data modules or reports by business model and market.

About Interpret LLC

Interpret is a leading cross-media market research firm. The company applies proprietary, cutting-edge methodologies and extensive category knowledge to help clients plan, test, and measure business strategies in the fast-evolving media landscape. Interpret’s unique combination of syndicated measurement products and custom market research services provides a common language across media for the key stakeholders of the digital age. www.interpret.la