MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
France continues to experience a healthy games sector, bolstered by growth in physical retail and online.
French industry trade body SELL states that €2.7 billion was generated by the country’s video game market in 2014, with €1.9 billion contributed by physical hardware, software and accessories.
Software made up the lion’s share of this revenue, comprising 29 per cent. Games are said to be the only cultural sector where physical retail is on the rise, with physical sales of film and books declining.
According to the Q3 2014 GameTrack report from industry body ISFE and data giant Ipsos MediaCT, France is outpacing the UK, Germany and Spain when it comes to acceptance of gaming.
Two thirds (64 per cent) of consumers in the country play any type of game, compared to two fifths of consumers in the UK and Spain, and half (53 per cent) of German consumers.
The increased engagement with gaming spans the entire French consumer demographic, but is particularly prevalent in children; 91 per cent of those aged six to 10 and 94 per cent of those aged 11 to 14 play games on any format. In comparison, 70 and 75 per cent of UK children in the same two age brackets play, respectively.
Online titles are particularly popular in France, with 40 per cent of gamers playing such products – double the proportion of UK players who do so.
A third (34 per cent) of French gamers purchase boxed products, higher than the quarter (24 per cent) of UK consumers who opt for physical retail. This is despite a smaller range – 42 per cent of gaming products in France are launched at retail, compared with 46 per cent in the UK.
Population: 66,616,416
Capital City: Paris
Currency: Euro
GDP (Per Capita): $45,384
KEY RETAILERS
Auchan, Leclerc, Fnac, Carrefour, Micromania
KEY DISTRIBUTORS
Koch Media, BigBen Interactive, Exertis, Just For Games, Micromania
TOP DEVELOPERS
Ubisoft, Quantic Dream, Bigpoint, Gameloft, Eugen Systems
NOTABLE GAMES FIRMS WITH A LOCAL OFFICE
Ubisoft, EA, Capcom, Activision Blizzard, Gameloft
