The lively world of tech startups found a space carved for growing and changing the play sector.
Despite being dominated by giant tech from Asia and the United States, the gaming industry still has great potential in Mexico, the 10th largest market in terms of income worldwide and the largest market in Latin America.
There are 67 startups related to the video game industry (gametech) in the country, while the category has received $ 70,000 in venture capital investment from 2022 to 2023.
To put this in perspective, during 2024, $ 5 billion was invested worldwide in industry startups, according to the newly released “Game On: The Rise of Gaming in Mexico,” from the Global Entrepreneurial Development Organization Endeavor and Santander Bank.
In 2021, De Kabeza and Wasabi Videojuegos raised $ 275,000 and $ 150,000, respectively, showing the flexibility of innovative projects in the gaming industry.
Although in Mexico, 80% of the start of the investment is concentrated in Fintech, E-Commerce, and Logistics, the video game industry may begin to gain a future basis, Vincent Speranza, CEO of Endeavor, said during a presentation for studying I attended to Mexico City on April 2.
However, the numbers show that at present, for gaming startups, the challenge is to increase the capital. Fifty -six percent of businessmen in this industry are funding themselves with their own resources.
Business Opportunities for Gaming Startups
Mexico has a basis of 76 million video game players nationwide – from experienced eSports participants competing around the world, by all the way hobbyists playing games on their smartphones in their morning are motivating public travel.
“Mexico is emerging as a regional leader in developing and consumption of video. While many players are still playing mobile devices, and the market is not as competitive as the United States or Asia, the growing popularity of eSports in Mexico and Latin America creates a large market of video consumers,” said Chris Muton's chris Mut, Ceo of NerdyTec. “For a company like nerdytec, which makes ergonomic lap desks for players, Mexico is undoubtedly a attractive -attractive market.”
Opportunities for startups in the gaming industry lies especially in integrated advertising, where revenues are approximately $ 960 million in 2025.
Due to the interaction generated by the video game platforms, especially on mobile devices, advertising on these platforms is often up to five times more effectively within the gaming category, cited by Laura Cruz Urquiza, the general manager's deputy strategy, change, and customer experience in Santander, during the presentation of the study.
The next place where there is an opportunity is eSports, with revenues from the segment of up to $ 387 million this year.
Examples include Monou, a platform for hosting contests and money earnings, or Draftea, which “is a company near the industry. It began as a fantasy football platform for Latin America and is now more involved in playing space,” Speranza explained. Draftea has gained investment from well -known funds such as Sequoia and Kaszek.
Faced with these instances, the challenges are greater because insufficient venture capitalists invested in the Gametech industry.
Vicent Speranza recognizes that “although funds are designed to take risks, which is actually the first fund to write a big check, a huge stake (in the gametech industry), always makes you feel a bit, because they naturally choose a slightly safer bet.”
In Mexico, there is only one fund that specializes in this industry: modified ventures, created in 2016 by Mario Valle Reyes to support independent studios. So far, it has invested not only the country but also the Silicon Valley and Abu Dhabi.
