Inside the Samsung Institute for Amazonian Informatics (Sidia) in Manaus, a staircase leads to a lower floor that has a rather unique environment. Dim lighting, minimal noise, dark corners, and some computers left almost abandoned create a setting reminiscent of a dungeon in an RPG. 

However, instead of monsters and dangers, the space is filled with programmers, designers, and illustrators, illuminated only by the glow of their computer screens. Their sole focus? To create games.

This is the Samsung game development studio, known as Black River. "The name reflects our location since Manaus is bordered by the Rio Negro," explains studio head André Araújo.

Founded by Samsung at the end of 2013, Black River operates within Sidia, Samsung's research and development center in Manaus, Amazonas. The studio develops various features for Samsung’s phones and tablets, including services, apps, and now, games. "This is our differentiator from competitors, this investment in our own products," says Álvaro Gonçalves, Sidia's technical manager, subtly pointing out rival companies like Apple and Nokia. The Nokia-branded research institute, which recently launched Wake Woody Infinity, no longer belongs to the Finnish company.

Samsung’s substantial investment is evident, as Black River is the only game studio outside of Korea dedicated to game development. The company is also making significant efforts to recruit professionals from across Brazil and beyond, including São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Amazonas, and even overseas.

From Sega, Disney, and Taikodom

Currently, Black River employs around 20 people, including three American developers. "To build our development team, we seek talent from across Brazil, but often we need to bring in individuals with specific experience from abroad," explains Gonçalves.

While the identities of the foreign developers are kept confidential, their backgrounds include experience with major companies like Sega and Disney Interactive. On the other hand, Brazilian talents are well-recognized, including Antonio Teoli, an artist known for his significant contributions.

Unlike the "dungeon" where the rest of the Black River team works, Teoli has a separate area, almost like a secret side quest room, as he requires an acoustically isolated environment to compose the game soundtracks. "I'm used to working in isolation because composing requires silence," he says. "Also, I can be quite noisy at times," he adds, strumming a chord on his guitar.

Teoli has extensive experience in game soundtracks, including promotional or advertising games for various brands. Two of his notable projects stand out: "One was composing the Latin American soundtrack for Second Life," he reveals.

The other is a well-known Brazilian game. "I was also the audio director for a very big game, Taikodom," he says, referring to the space MMO developed by Hoplon in Santa Catarina.