Gaucho and the Grassland Rides to Mobile with Google’s Indie Games Fund — What Players Should Expect

A culture-rich indie heads to mobile – with Google’s money behind it

This caught my attention because Gaucho and the Grassland always stood out from the indie crowd for actually celebrating a place and its traditions instead of sanding them down. The farm-adventure hybrid from Epopeia Games is now officially riding to mobile with help from the Google Indie Games Fund 2025, and they’ve tapped Izyplay Studios – one of Brazil’s veteran mobile teams – to make it happen. No date yet, but equity-free funding and technical support are locked in. That’s a big signal for Brazilian indies and a real test of how well Gaucho’s tactile charm can survive touchscreens.

Key takeaways

• Google’s Indie Games Fund is backing the mobile adaptation with equity-free investment (up to $200k) and support.
• Epopeia is partnering with Izyplay Studios, a Pelotas-based team with 35M downloads and 15 years in mobile.
• No release date or pricing model yet; devs promise touch-first controls and a redesigned interface.
• The big questions: premium vs. free-to-play, performance on lower-end Androids, and whether the cozy rhythm translates to phones.

Breaking down the announcement

Two gaúcho studios teaming up matters here. Epopeia’s name probably hit your feed last year thanks to MULLET MADJACK, but Gaucho is the quieter passion project — a pastoral loop inspired by southern Brazil’s traditions, from brewing chimarrão to lassoing and caring for livestock. Izyplay is coming in as co-developer to rework the experience for touch, which is the right move; mobile ports that skip this step usually feel like awkward PC games crushed into your phone.

The quotes are telling, and yes, they’re proud. “We couldn’t be happier with this project. Besides the extremely important investment at this moment, aligned with our new phase as a publisher, the partnership with our brothers at Epopeia is unique and symbolic. It represents the maturity both studios have reached,” said Everton Vieira, CEO at Izyplay Studios.

Epopeia’s CEO Ivan Sendin adds: “Gaucho is a very important franchise for us, and it enabled us to receive this investment to adapt the game to mobile, where the audience had already been asking for it. Being able to do this in partnership with our brothers at Izyplay is the realization of a dream. We’re happy about this — let’s go!”

The real questions: monetization, controls, and performance

The press note sticks to safe promises — “maintain the essence,” optimize controls, redesign the UI — but for players, three issues will decide if this lands.

• Monetization: We don’t know if it’s premium, free with ads, or free-to-play. Google’s equity-free cash reduces pressure to chase aggressive gacha, but it doesn’t answer the business model. Dandara worked on mobile as a premium title; Vampire Survivors exploded with a smart F2P mobile pivot. Gaucho’s cozy pacing and craft loops could support either, but energy systems or intrusive ads would kill the vibe.
• Touch-first design: This game lives and dies by feel. Lassoing should be a satisfying press-and-drag arc. Brewing chimarrão could be a neat swipe-and-hold minigame instead of a modal pop-up. Inventory and animal care need one-thumb ergonomics — not PC-style nested menus. If they nail haptics and gestures, the phone version might actually be the best way to play.
• Device targets: Brazil and wider LATAM have huge Android audiences using mid-to-low-range devices. Smooth 30fps, small install size, and robust offline play matter more than ultrawide bells and whistles. Controller support is a bonus, not a requirement, but it’s worth asking.

Why this matters for Brazilian devs

Google’s fund aiming up to $200k per studio in LATAM isn’t just a press-friendly grant; it can change production timelines and lessen the temptation to nickel-and-dime players. The partnership also keeps the talent loop local. Epopeia and Izyplay are both from Rio Grande do Sul, and that cohesion matters in a scene building global hits from regional stories. We’ve watched Brazilian indies shine by leaning into identity — Long Hat House’s Dandara did it stylistically, and Gaucho does it culturally. If this mobile version lands, it sets a template: culturally specific, touch-native design, smart funding, and a path from PC to phone to consoles.

What players should watch next

• Business model and regional pricing: premium, F2P, or a hybrid? Respect player time and wallets.
• Offline play and cloud saves: perfect for commute sessions; cross-progression with future console versions would be a win.
• Accessibility: readable fonts on small screens, colorblind-friendly UI for animal and crop states, remappable gestures.
• Touch interactions: is the lasso precise? Are chores satisfying or fiddly? Do haptics sell the ranch feel?
• Performance targets: runs well on common mid-range Android phones; reasonable download size.

One extra note: the team mentions future launches on Xbox, Switch, and PlayStation. If we get a mobile version dialed in first, don’t be surprised if console controls borrow the mobile UX instead of the other way around — recent ports like Stardew’s mobile updates have quietly influenced their bigger-screen cousins.

TL;DR

Gaucho and the Grassland getting Google-funded mobile love is good news — especially with Izyplay steering touch design. The promise is there; the deal-breakers are monetization choices and whether the game’s tactile, cozy rhythm survives the move to your phone. If they nail those, this could be the definitive way to ride the pampas.