Celebrating the Next Generation of Latin American Game Creators

Across Latin America, developers are creating some of gaming’s most distinctive new worlds by turning personal memories, local history, cultural traditions, and bold ideas into experiences that resonate far beyond the region. Games such as Despelote, Mexico, 1921: A Deep Slumber, and SOPA – Tale of the Stolen Potato show the remarkable breadth of this creative community, from intimate coming-of-age stories and interactive journeys through history to magical adventures filled with heart.

For years, XBOX has worked alongside creators across Latin America, helping studios of all sizes bring their games to players around the world. Through the ID@XBOX Developer Acceleration Program (DAP), we’ve worked with more than 60 studios from Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Honduras, Uruguay, and beyond, helping developers bring over 30 culturally distinctive games to XBOX since 2023, while strengthening the region’s growing game development ecosystem by providing access to technical resources, business support, and mentorship.  

XBOX Game Camp Heads to Mexico City

As XBOX continues to support game creators across Latin America, XBOX Game Camp is expanding its reach with a Mexico City debut on October 17 alongside Xbox FanFest. Taking place during Xbox’s 25th anniversary year, the event will celebrate Mexico’s game development community and the extraordinary talent already shaping games across the region, while creating new opportunities for developers to learn, connect, and grow.

XBOX Game Camp Mexico will bring together a select group of Mexican studios, including developers both within and beyond the existing XBOX ecosystem, for a day focused on industry knowledge, community, and connection. The program will feature advanced developer seminars, keynotes and fireside conversations with industry leaders, along with opportunities to connect directly with industry professionals and members of Team XBOX, including Jens Bergensten, Chief Creative Officer at Mojang Studios. His fireside conversation with Peter Zetterberg, Founder of XBOX Game Camp, will explore his career journey and lessons from Sweden’s game development ecosystem, with a focus on collaboration, supporting fellow creators, and the role community can play in building a stronger industry.

With a passionate development community and a strong culture of collaboration, Mexico City provides an ideal setting for XBOX Game Camp to celebrate locally developed games, strengthen connections across the ecosystem, and create new pathways for Mexican creators to bring their ideas to audiences around the world.

As we support the next generation of creators through initiatives like XBOX Game Camp, we’re also celebrating the developers shaping Latin America’s game development community today. Here’s a look at six upcoming games from Latin American creators to keep on your radar.

Six Upcoming Games from Latin America to Watch

Mariachi Legends — Halberd Studios, Mexico

Mariachi Legends is a brutal, combat-oriented Metroidvania wrapped in gorgeous pixel art and set in the heart of Mexico. Players step into the shoes of Pablo Cruz, a Mexican detective who strikes a deal with Death herself. Granted the ability to transform into the supernatural entity “La Sombra,” Pablo must battle an evil syndicate known as the Mariachi Legends. It’s a journey that blends intense hack-and-slash action with RPG mechanics, all unfolding around the Day of the Dead festivities.

What sets Mariachi Legends apart?

What truly separates Mariachi Legends is our deep, authentic integration of Mexican culture and folklore directly into the gameplay loop. Beyond standard combat and exploration we’ve also introduced a unique culinary mechanic: players explore the world to collect ingredients and cook traditional Mexican dishes to gain strength. Coupled with a Day/Night cycle driven by Sun and Moon gates, where different map sections are accessible depending on the time of day, the game offers a distinct flavor you won’t find in other Metroidvanias.

How has DAP supported development of your title?

ID@XBOX has been instrumental in helping us bring our vision to life without compromising on quality or cultural authenticity. The program provided us with the resources and technical support needed to ensure Mariachi Legends runs flawlessly on XBOX Series X|S, utilize features like XBOX Play Anywhere. The marketing amplification and the opportunity to bring the game to a massive audience via XBOX Game Pass has given our studio the runway to focus fully on creating a polished experience.

What do you hope players take away from your game?

We hope players walk away with a profound appreciation for the richness of Mexican traditions. We want them to experience the thrill of a tight, challenging Metroidvania, but more importantly, we want the world, the food, the music, and the folklore of Mexico to resonate with them long after they put the controller down.

Colorbound — Panpipe Studio, Chile

In Colorbound, color is more than just a hue. Join Anku on a heartwarming journey, using color to shape the world around you. In this puzzle-platforming adventure, you will solve challenging puzzles, uncover secrets, and help a family of musicians reunite, just like in the old days, for a farewell concert.

What sets Colorbound apart?

Colorbound stands out primarily for its aesthetics and core mechanics. The ability to change the colors of the environment creates an experience that draws attention through its very concept. Furthermore, the narrative, music, and art reflect the Andean culture of Latin America, successfully connecting with the region and showcasing a culture unknown to many.

How has DAP supported development of your title?

Primarily by providing some of the funding for the project’s production and post-production, which allowed for a faster development process and more comprehensive publishing work.

What do you hope players take away from your game?

On one hand, I hope that during the process you are surprised by the different mechanics associated with the colors and enjoy solving the game’s challenging puzzles. But above all, I hope you take away a fond memory of a simple, touching experience about friendship and grief.

Sky Dust — Orbit Studio, Brazil

Sky Dust is a single-player cyberpunk action-adventure with RPG elements, set in a dystopian future after the destruction of the Moon. Players take on the role of a mercenary exploring the streets of São Paulo and a digital realm known as the Cyberverse. The game combines precise combat, exploration, platforming, and hacking in a world shaped by lunar contamination and the struggle between humanity and technology.

What sets Sky Dust apart?

Sky Dust brings a Brazilian perspective to cyberpunk, reimagining São Paulo as a dystopian city shaped by its urban identity, contrasts, and culture. Its combat combines precise swordplay, well-timed parries, and customizable cybernetic arms with distinct abilities. Players can experiment with different combinations and adapt their approach to each encounter, balancing aggressive attacks with careful defence.

How has DAP supported development of your title?

The ID@XBOX Developer Acceleration Program has provided valuable financial support that allowed us to bring Sky Dust to XBOX and Windows. For an independent studio like ours, this support helps reduce the financial pressure of developing for additional platforms and allows us to dedicate more resources to delivering a polished experience. It also gives us greater confidence as we work toward sharing the game with a wider audience.

What do you hope players take away from your game?

We hope players leave Sky Dust feeling the satisfaction of mastering its combat and discovering the stories hidden throughout its world. We also want the game to spark reflection on what it means to remain human in a society where technology can reshape both the body and the mind. Above all, we hope its characters, atmosphere, and Brazilian perspective stay with players after their journey ends.

Treetopians — Aparato Games, Argentina

Treetopians is a cozy colony simulator where players build vertical villages in the treetops and care for a growing community of villagers with unique needs and personalities. Players design and expand their settlements, manage resources, and help their community thrive as they explore new environments and discover new biomes.

What sets Treetopians apart?

Treetopians combine vertical city-building with colony management, allowing players to build and expand unique villages high up in the treetops. Its distinctive environments, creative building possibilities, and progression across different biomes offer a fresh take on the cozy city-builder genre.

How has DAP supported development of your title?

The ID@XBOX Developer Acceleration Program has provided valuable support for the development of Treetopians, helping our small indie team move the project forward, improve the game, and bring our vision to life. This support has been an important step toward making Treetopians available to XBOX players.

What do you hope players take away from your game?

We hope players find a relaxing and rewarding experience where they can unleash their creativity, build at their own pace, and enjoy watching their communities grow. Treetopians is about creating a place of your own, exploring new environments, and finding joy in the little things along the way.

GHOSTLESS — Coffeenauts, Brazil

In an alternate 20th Century, a Cold War AI super-intelligence turned against humanity. Lead an uprising against AI in a post-apocalyptic world where you’re never sure who is human and who is machine. Scavenge for resources, find survivors to grow your base, root out android infiltrators and lead the resistance in a unique hybrid of 2.5D action-adventure and colony building.

A dark sci-fi journey about humanity, paranoia and survival, GHOSTLESS is atmospherically rendered in a style we’re calling ‘hi-fi pixel art’, a blend of retro pixel graphics and modern 3D lighting and visual effects.

What sets GHOSTLESS apart?

GHOSTLESS is a premium indie game with beautiful visuals, unique genre blend and a clear hook inspired by sci-fi classics like ‘The Terminator’ and ‘The Thing’: you must lead the uprising against the machines by becoming humanity’s “John Connor” figure while investigating disguised android infiltrators trying to sabotage your resistance.

How has DAP supported development of your title?

Coffeenauts only exists as a studio today because XBOX chose to give their vote of confidence and support development of our first game, a studen