For independent studios, participating in Gamescom goes beyond merely showcasing a title; the fair offers a stage to find essential partners who can transform an autonomous project into a commercially released product. It was with this purpose that Roberto Spinelli (Pena) and Vitor Moreira, members of Caramelo Biônico, traveled to Gamescom 2026, held in Cologne, Germany.
The duo brought the game Circus of Fools, an accessible project that conducted its first major test with an international audience during the event. Circus of Fools was designed to be played by individuals with severe motor disabilities, using only a single button for the entire experience.
In this game, the flea moves automatically across the arena, while the player controls the jump. This same command changes function depending on the situation, allowing interaction with elements such as catapults, trapezes, and cannons. Developed in approximately one month, the project features a vertical cut containing one level, utilizing artificial intelligence in its animations and assets. During testing, Caramelo Biônico noted that the simplicity of the controls could also attract casual players.
The first international test occurred spontaneously. During Gamescom Dev, Roberto and Vitor located an unoccupied area and decided to set up the game there. One of the organizers allowed them to continue using the space until the end of the day. This occasion exposed Circus of Fools to the public and served as an initial validation before another crucial goal of the trip: identifying potential partners.
Caramelo Biônico had pre-selected about 90 companies, which was reduced to 26 potential contacts. At the fair, they managed to converse with nine of these companies, four of which expressed interest in the project. A particularly promising conversation took place with a browser game platform that has over one hundred million users. Although no agreement was sealed during Gamescom, the studio plans to continue negotiations aiming for the expansion of Circus of Fools, including versions for mobile and Steam.
Caramelo Biônico's journey echoed in the experiences of other Brazilians present at the fair. At an event of this magnitude, the most important moments are not always scheduled. Matheus Lacerda, from TinyTank Studio, presented the PC demo of My Girlfriend is a VAMP. After failing to schedule a meeting with a monitoring publisher, he met a company representative by chance during the event, and this conversation generated a possibility unforeseen by conventional channels.
Another case was Gildineia Guimarães, from Galactonautas, who achieved a distinct validation with Bruce’s Gym, a management game inspired by Brazilian gyms. A visitor played for about thirty minutes and left, but later, she realized he returned to play again, which was confirmed by photos taken during the tests.
For Livia Yoshikawa, Maki, from Dragonroll Studio, achieving such opportunities requires persistence. She requested about forty meetings with publishers and secured six encounters to present Final Flavor. Her experience differs from her first Gamescom in 2022, when she presented another project and failed to advance in negotiations.
These accounts underline a common difficulty faced by small studios. With limited budgets and teams, participating in an international fair means competing for attention with hundreds of projects, making every dialogue a potential chance to boost game development.
Additionally, Gamescom Dev highlighted the use of artificial intelligence in the creation process of Circus of Fools. According to Pena, the talks offered various perspectives. While Tencent displayed a workflow employing AI in phases such as modeling, rigging, and animation, other presentations addressed the environmental and creative impacts of this technology.
Caramelo Biônico also incorporates AI into its development but emphasizes that it seeks the technology as a tool inserted into an authorial process and under human curation. Participating in the world's largest game fair with an independent budget demands creativity beyond development. To save money, Pena and Vitor utilized the hotel's hearty breakfast and free meals available at the events. One night, the two accidentally ended up attending a VIP party in the indie pavilion, where they consumed food and drinks and played PowerWash Simulator with other developers.
Maki reported a similar tactic: seeking food offered at the booths to reduce travel costs. At least one item seemed easier to find in Germany, as the group managed to get a free beer daily at some point during the event. Among these unforeseen events—encounters in the corridors and numerous pitches—the presence of Brazilians at Gamescom illustrates a reality far removed from big announcements and million-dollar stands. For small studios, the fair represents a race to ensure the game is seen, tested, and, hopefully, finds the necessary partnership to progress.