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Attendees at the third Paris Games Biz described cautious optimism as studios adapt to financial pressure and unrest in Paris. Smaller French developers credited government support with helping them stay afloat, while discussions focused on marketing, existing intellectual property and careful spending. The event offered no indication that the wider industry’s financial strain has eased.
The third Paris Games Biz brought publishers, investors and developers together in Paris as public protests continued elsewhere in the city, with attendees describing a mood of cautious optimism amid ongoing financial pressure. Small French studios said government funding had helped keep businesses afloat, while discussions at the gathering focused on marketing, intellectual property and keeping budgets under control.
The gathering was held in the city’s 2nd arrondissement, where streets near the venue showed signs of unrest, including broken shop windows, soot and damaged public bins and bicycles. Police vans were parked outside the official party, but proceedings were not interrupted. The account of the event says the curfew then in place covered an area beyond the venue.
Many studios attending had received government support or preparation from local industry associations to present games to publishers and investors. The companies named among those meeting developers included Kepler, Krafton, Tencent Games and Kwalee. Festival director David Rabineau said tax relief is capped at €6 million a year, a level he said works for indies but offers diminishing returns for larger studios with more than 200 staff.
Rabineau said he planned to lobby politicians at Paris Games Week for more support, arguing that the industry is fragile and contributes tax revenue. Attendees also discussed marketing support and existing game franchises. The Game Bakers’ Audrey Leprince argued that studios beyond the smallest should take responsibility for marketing rather than rely on a publisher; she cited the studio’s game Cairn, whose marketing spend represented 9% of its total budget.
Industry Briefing · Paris · Opinion
Guarded Optimism in a Turbulent Games Industry
At the third Paris Games Biz, French developers described cautious hope built on public support, careful budgets and new routes to market. Outside, unrest in the city reflected a wider sense of strain.
01 / The setting
Business conversations amid street unrest
Publishers, investors and developers met in Paris ahead of Paris Games Week. The gathering continued despite visible damage near the venue and police vans outside the official party.
A lifeline for smaller studios
Developers credited French government funding and preparation from local industry groups with helping studios stay afloat and present games to partners.
Publishers in the room
Companies named among those meeting developers included Kepler, Krafton, Tencent Games and Kwalee.
Optimism with limits
Attendees reported financial strain across the sector. The event offered no evidence that the wider business pressure had eased.
02 / Studio strategy
Spend carefully. Reach players directly.
Discussion centered on practical ways to keep projects viable: use available support, plan marketing deliberately and weigh the value of familiar intellectual property against the cost of giving up control.
03 / The policy debate
A cap that fits indies less well at scale
Festival director David Rabineau said French tax relief is capped at €6 million per year. He argued that it works for independent studios but brings diminishing returns for larger companies with more than 200 staff.
Support is part of the ecosystem
He contrasted France’s cap with what he described as more generous support in Germany and the United Kingdom. The event account does not provide program-by-program comparisons.
Lobbying planned at Paris Games Week
Rabineau said he would press politicians for more support. No policy decision or change to the cap was reported.
“The Cairn marketing spend represented 9% of the total budget.”
Audrey Leprince · The Game BakersRecognizable brands can help a game find an audience, but rights control carries its own risks.
IP discussion · Dotemu and Evil Empire04 / Decisions under pressure
From support to sustainable business
Secure support
Use public funding and local industry preparation where eligible.
Choose a route
Consider publisher marketing, in-house promotion or a mix of both.
Manage exposure
Keep budgets controlled and assess the rights behind established IP.
Find an audience
Build market access without assuming one studio’s approach fits all.
05 / What remains uncertain
Signals, not settled answers
- Funding reach: The account gives no individual grant amounts, recipient counts or estimate of how long support can last.
- Industry comparisons: France’s system is contrasted with Germany and the UK, but no detailed program figures are supplied.
- Generative AI: Smaller developers interviewed often said AI did not fit their workflows. One larger studio head supported prototyping and concept work, while noting internal controversy.
- Paris Games Week: Rumors about its long-term future remain unconfirmed. The account notes fewer prominent exhibitors and Xbox’s absence without explaining why.
Funding and marketing under pressure
The event’s discussions point to how French studios are responding to a difficult commercial environment: relying on public assistance where available, limiting spending and seeking ways to reach players without taking on excessive costs. Attendees’ accounts of funding as a business lifeline underline the importance of the support system to smaller developers, though they do not establish how many studios depend on it or how long that support can last.
The debate about marketing also reflects a practical concern for developers seeking publishers. Several studios were looking for partners to handle marketing rather than provide investment or development support. Leprince’s example of Cairn offered one alternative, but it is a single studio’s experience, not evidence that the same approach will work for every project.
For readers, the gathering provides a view of industry priorities beyond game announcements: funding, market access and sustainable budgets are shaping business decisions. Its guarded tone contrasts with the damaged streets outside, while showing that the gathering continued despite the unrest.
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French support and industry strain
Paris Games Biz took place against several pressures described by attendees: commercial and financial turmoil affecting games businesses, protests in Paris, and difficulties facing French companies including Ubisoft, Nacon and Arkane Lyon. The reporting notes these companies’ troubles were discussed at the event, but does not detail specific new developments involving them.
Rabineau contrasted France’s annual tax-relief cap with what he described as more generous support in Germany and the United Kingdom. He also pointed to the UK’s collection of large studios, including Creative Assembly, Playground and Sumo Digital, as an area where France has fewer comparable companies beyond Ubisoft. Those comparisons were his assessment, rather than a detailed comparison of funding programs in the account.
Developers also considered working with established intellectual property. Dotemu CEO Cyrille Imbert and Evil Empire’s Ben Laulan discussed the potential advantages of recognizable brands, as well as the risks of not controlling the rights. Laulan had recently been involved in the launch of Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse.
“Please be mindful, we are fragile and we do bring tax money, please care for us.”
— David Rabineau, Paris Games Biz festival director
Funding limits and showfloor doubts
The event account does not specify how much funding individual studios received, how many companies qualified for French support, or whether Rabineau’s planned lobbying will lead to a policy change. It also gives no detailed figures for the German and UK programs he compared with France’s tax-relief cap.
Generative AI use appeared limited among the smaller developers interviewed, but the observations were based on conversations at the gathering, not a survey of the French industry. A larger studio head was more positive about using AI for prototyping and concept development, while describing the subject as controversial within the team.
The account also reports rumors that Paris Games Week could face a future similar to E3 or EGX, but does not confirm a planned closure or provide a timeline. It says the showfloor had fewer prominent exhibitors than in the past, including a conspicuous absence of Xbox, without detailing the reasons for that absence.
Lobbying and Paris Games Week
Rabineau said he was preparing to lobby politicians at Paris Games Week for more support for French developers. Whether that effort changes the tax-relief cap or creates other assistance remains unknown. The event account does not report a decision or policy announcement.
Attendees moved from Paris Games Biz to the consumer show at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. The show’s attendance and exhibitor mix may shape future discussion about its role, but the rumors about its long-term future remain unconfirmed. For studios, the immediate focus described at the gathering was less on spectacle than on budgets, marketing and finding viable business arrangements.
Key Questions
What was Paris Games Biz?
Paris Games Biz was a business gathering for publishers, investors and developers, held for its third edition ahead of Paris Games Week. Attendees presented games and discussed funding, marketing and partnerships.
What government support did French studios discuss?
Studios discussed government funding and tax relief. Festival director David Rabineau said the tax-relief measure is capped at €6 million a year; the event account does not set out individual grants or the full program rules.
Were developers at the event using generative AI?
The small developers described in the event account generally said AI did not fit their workflows, including for coding. One larger studio head was more positive about using it for prototyping and concept development. The report does not provide industry-wide usage data.
Is Paris Games Week closing?
No closure was confirmed. The event account mentions rumors about the show’s future and says its floor had fewer prominent exhibitors than in the past, including no Xbox presence, but gives no closure announcement or timetable.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz
