The State of the French Games Industry: Key Findings and Trends

Insights from SNJV’s Yearly Report

The SNJV has released its yearly report on the state of the French games industry, revealing key insights gathered from surveys of 577 developers between February and June 2023.

State of French Games Companies in 2022

The report provides an in-depth analysis of the French games industry in 2022. Notably, it highlights a decrease in mobile revenue for the first time. Some key findings include:

• 1,257 video games were under development in France during 2022.
• 76% of roles within the industry were filled with permanent contracts.
• 27% of studios generated over €1 million in revenue.

Vive la difference

The report also delves into the types of games being developed in France:

• 68% of titles in production were based on new IP.
• 42 blockchain games were in development, representing a 4% increase from 2020.
• PC games were the primary focus for 33.5% of developers, followed by home consoles at 22.8%, and mobile at 16.1%.
• Hypercasual games accounted for just 3% of games in development, while hybridcasual represented 5.9%.

Regional Distribution and Employment Trends

The report provides insights into the regional distribution of development studios in France:

• Île-de-France housed the highest number of studios (44.6% of the total), likely due to its proximity to Paris.
• Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes contained only 13.1% of developers, despite being the second most populous region.

On the employment front, the following trends were observed:

• Tech-based jobs made up 31.2% of the workforce, followed by design (23.5%) and visuals (22.6%).
• There was a significant increase in the number of apprenticeships.

Revenue and Publisher Influence

The report sheds light on the financial aspects of the industry:

• The number of developers generating over €10 million more than doubled between 2020 and 2022 (from 6.4% to 14.4%).
• 27% of developers generated more than €1 million in revenue.
• However, the majority of developers (55%) reported revenues below €300,000.

Additionally, the report highlights the increasing influence of publishers in the French games industry, with 62% of studios working with a publisher in 2022, compared to 39% in 2019.

Global Performances and Game Budgets

In addition to the SNJV report, an Ipsos report reveals that 76% of French children have explicit agreements with their parents regarding spending in games.