Portugal Makes Games?

Hi there! Long time no write. I’ve been busy exploring the videogame industry in my native country of Portugal (for now, mostly focused in Lisbon, where I live, but I’ll expand those horizons soon).

After speaking with a few game developers here I’ve noticed a quote pop up time and time again. It goes something like this:

“We’ve been doing this for years now, but every time we are at an event or a video goes viral on TikTok there are people surprised that we’re making games in Portugal!”

If even a lot of Portuguese people do not know about Portuguese-made games, I bet a lot of you are wondering: Portugal Makes Games?

Hence why I chose it as the title for this newsletter that will be arriving in your inboxes or Substack app every week. I’m aiming to publish it every Saturday, but don’t quote me on it.

The purpose of this newsletter is simple: I want to ensure that as many people as possible know the correct answer to the question (hint: it is yes!). To do that, I will be bringing you tidbits and interesting stories from interviews with Portuguese developers and keep you up to date on the most relevant things that happen in our little corner of the gaming industry.

Let me know if you there is anything in specific you’d like to know about how videogames are made in Portugal!

Lastly, I’d like to extend a huge thanks to Harrison Polites, who was kind enough to bring good weather to Lisbon, and who reminded me that the best way to get something done is to just start it!

Hope to see you Saturday for the inaugural edition of Portugal Makes Games?!