Emmanuel Macron has always been a vocal supporter of French tech, but a recent Instagram post by the French President may be a first. Macron took to social media to praise a spectacular French success story: a video game called Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. When he wrote that, the game had racked up 1 million sales in just three days. After 33 days, it had sold 3.3 million copies, and been acclaimed as one of the best games of the year.
This isn’t an isolated success story. The French games industry has always been among the strongest in Europe, but a variety of factors have combined to make it a world leader. At a time when stories of redundancies in the industry are rife, the French games industry is setting the example for what can be achieved—and what the future of video games might look like.
French excellence
Despite coming from a brand-new studio, Clair Obscur had been hotly anticipated ever since it was revealed to the public. The brainchild of former Ubisoft developers (more on them later), the game follows a party of adventurers who set out to defeat a mystical entity known as the Paintress, who causes everyone equal to or above a certain age to disappear each year, with the number slowly ticking down. The studio behind the game managed to secure early backing from a major publisher, and the early glimpses were considered so impressive that the collector’s edition of the game sold out before anyone had played it.
Developed in France and set in a dark-fantasy version of the Belle Époque, the game has a uniquely French feel. The studio pivoted from a Victorian setting partway through development, deciding that this period in French history was less well-trodden. There are easter eggs and ‘France-isms’ nestled throughout, from the names of the protagonists (Renoir, Lune and Gustave) to enemies called ‘Petanks’, to French swear words slotted into the English dialogue! There are even a variety of distinctly French outfits that the characters can choose between—including the classic marinière and beret.
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It may be the most outwardly French game in recent memory, but it’s far from the only contribution by the country’s video game developers. Video games have a long and storied history in France, most notably in the developer and publisher Ubisoft. Most famous for the Assassin’s Creed and Rayman franchises, Ubisoft employs almost 20,000 people across the globe, and is one of the world’s biggest video game companies. The path trodden by the Clair Obscur team is an increasingly common one: cutting their teeth at a French giant, before starting their own company filled with French talent.
The indie revolution
It should be said that Ubisoft hasn’t been wholly successful in the last few years. Video game development at the top level (what are known as ‘Triple A’ games) has become more protracted and more expensive, with budgets for the biggest games in the hundreds of millions of euros. This means that a commercial failure has a huge impact on a company’s finances, to the extent that one failed game can not only lead to redundancies, but the collapse of a studio. What’s so impressive about Clair Obscur—and indeed heartening—is that a game which looks and feels like a Triple A title was made by a core team of just 30 people, not including external talent like the musicians, voice artists, or quality assurance. Compare this to Ubisoft, who at one point had 2,800 developers working on its Assassin’s Creed titles.
This is a pattern that’s being repeated by independent (or ‘indie’) developers across France. A combination of online productivity tools and powerful and accessible new video game engines is making top-level games development more accessible, and allowing for bigger and more impressive games to be made by smaller teams of people. French indie studios like Sloclap, Game Atelier, and Sleepy Mill have all found success with critically-acclaimed games outside of the traditional funding model.
While Ubisoft may be the biggest developer in France, they are far from the only established name. Arkane Studios in Lyon is responsible for the beloved Dishonored franchise, and is currently working on a new Marvel game, while Asobo Studios in Bordeaux makes the acclaimed, French-set A Plague Tale games, as well as Microsoft Flight Simulator. Their success speaks to not only the pervading strength of the French games industry, but the presence of multiple strongholds across France.
Funding for French video games
There are a few factors that contribute to this ongoing success. One is significant support from the French government, which has made a point of backing the industry. The Video Game Tax Credit (CIJV – Crédit d’Impôt Jeu Vidéo) for instance offers an up to 30% rebate on expenses such as salaries, equipment and subcontracting, so long as the games have cultural or artistic value. Producing the game in France and having a French setting provide a large chunk of the points required to meet this definition, alongside factors such as the originality of the game and inventiveness of its mechanics.
The Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC) which administers this tax credit also provides grants and funding for game developers, with a focus on indie development. Their Fonds d’aide au jeu vidéo (FAJV) offers financial support for game prototypes (often used to secure additional funding) and development, as well as help with publishing games. French game companies can also benefit from Bpifrance schemes like many other French businesses, including including loans and grants towards particularly innovative games and game technologies.
Developers can also benefit from both local and international schemes. The various tech hubs around France also support game developers, while several EU schemes are also available to French developers. This includes grants of between 10,000-150,000 euros from the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme, and even R&D funding from Horizon Europe for particularly innovative projects, such as contributions to accessibility, or game technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, or implementations of AI.
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The success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 isn’t so much a breakout moment for the French video game industry as it is a crowning achievement. The game’s popularity reflects not just an industry hitting its stride, but also a new and more sustainable way of making ‘Triple A’ games. It’s thanks in no small part to the ingenuity and creativity of French game developers—but also to the incredible network of support that French game developers benefit from.
If this article has got you curious about starting a video game company in France, check out our piece on how to start your own indie game development company. Alternatively, get in touch with us today to find out more about starting a business in France or elsewhere in Europe, and living out your indie studio dreams.
