France reports and market data
Documents
Essential Video Game News: Market, Consumption, Use – France (February 2016)
The French video game industry experienced a period of sustained growth in 2015, marking the second consecutive year of positive performance with a 6% increase in total market value to €2.8 billion.
- The French video game market grew by 6% in 2015 to a total value of €2.8 billion, marking its second consecutive year of positive performance.
- Software sales reached €1.6 billion (up 7%), while accessory sales hit a record €300 million, representing a 13% increase.
- The transition to 8th-generation consoles drove market vitality, with 1.57 million units sold during 2015.
Biz Daily: Vivendi's move on Gameloft and Ubisoft
Vivendi, a prominent French media conglomerate, has initiated a significant strategic investment by acquiring approximately 6.6 percent stakes in both Ubisoft and Gameloft for a combined total of 160 million euros.
- Vivendi has acquired approximately 6.6 percent stakes in both Ubisoft and Gameloft for a combined investment of 160 million euros.
- The Guillemot family, founders of both companies, holds 15 to 20 percent of the shares, creating a significant barrier to any potential hostile takeover.
- The industrial logic for a merger centers on combining Ubisoft’s dominant PC and console intellectual property with Gameloft’s mobile gaming expertise.
Essential Video Game News: Market Data and Consumption – France
The French video game market has entered a period of robust expansion, solidifying its position as the nation’s second-largest cultural industry.
- The French video game market is projected to grow by 8% in 2015, supported by a 40% surge in eighth-generation console software sales through September.
- Gaming has become a mainstream activity in France, with 53% of the population aged 10 to 65 now identifying as players.
- The French gaming demographic has reached an average age of 35 and is approaching gender parity, marking a shift away from niche status.
Biz Daily: Why is Gameloft losing its players?
Gameloft’s financial performance for the second quarter of 2015 reveals a growing disconnect between high download volumes and actual revenue generation.
- Gameloft’s monthly active users (MAU) dropped 10% to 162 million, while daily active users (DAU) fell 17% to 19 million in Q2 2015, indicating a significant failure in player retention.
- Despite high download volumes, Gameloft experienced a 5% quarter-on-quarter decline in sales, signaling instability in its transition to a games-as-a-service model.
- Reported Q2 2015 sales of 62 million euros represent a 12% year-on-year increase, but this growth shrinks to a modest 3% when adjusted for currency fluctuations.
Essential Video Game News: France & Europe (June 2015)
The European video game industry experienced a significant turning point in mid-2015, marking its first period of sustained growth since 2008.
- As of mid-2015, the European video game industry achieved its first period of sustained growth since 2008, driven by eighth-generation console adoption and digital business model transitions.
- While the European physical market saw a 0.7 percent decline in value and a 2 percent drop in volume through May 2015, the software sector grew by 4 percent in value.
- The industry is successfully offsetting traditional retail volatility by integrating digital ecosystems, prepaid cards, and interactive gaming toys.
Turn virtual items into real cash with FabZat
FabZat provides a turnkey in-app merchandising solution that allows mobile and web game developers to convert virtual assets into physical products.
- FabZat provides a turnkey SDK for mobile and web games that enables in-app purchasing of physical merchandise like 3D-printed figurines and apparel.
- The platform operates on a revenue-sharing model where publishers retain 70 percent of profits with no entry or recurring subscription fees.
- The service handles the entire logistics chain, including payment processing, production, and global shipping to over 200 destinations.
Essential Video Game News: Market, Consumption and Use (February 2015)
The French video game industry experienced a significant resurgence in 2014, marking its first period of growth since 2008 with a 3% increase in total market value.
- The French video game market grew by 3% in 2014, marking its first period of growth since 2008.
- Eighth-generation consoles are the primary market driver, currently accounting for 89% of the total console market value.
- Video games have achieved high social penetration in France, with 75% of the population playing regularly and 78% viewing gaming as a family-oriented activity.
Le Marché Illicite de la Distribution Digitale de Jeux Vidéo sur PC: France
The illicit digital PC game market has evolved into a billion-euro industry that systematically undermines the official distribution ecosystem through the exploitation of regional price disparities and regulatory loopholes.
- The digital PC game market in France is significantly impacted by an illicit market, where game keys are resold at prices up to 60% lower than official retail prices, often before a game's release, leading consumers to perceive official prices as too high.
- This illicit market is fueled by geographical price differences (e.g., keys sold for €19 in Poland vs. €49 in France) and physical wholesalers reselling keys from boxed games to unofficial sites, with German wholesaler Gross Electronic GmbH identified as a major supplier to MMOGA.com from 2013-2015.
- Major illicit platforms like MMOGA (sold for €306M in 2015 with over €100M revenue) and G2A operate from offshore locations (e.g., Hong Kong, Eastern Europe) to avoid European VAT and consumer protection laws, despite often having significant European customer bases (e.g., over 60% French audience for some sites).
Essential Video Game News: Market Data and Consumption – France (October 2014)
The French video game industry experienced a significant transition in 2013 and 2014, driven by the successful launch of the eighth generation of home consoles.
- The French video game industry is the country's second-largest leisure sector, with 75% of the population aged 10 to 65 playing games at least occasionally.
- Market forecasts for 2014 projected a 7% increase in total industry turnover and a 42% surge in hardware sales, driven by the eighth generation of consoles.
- By the end of 2013, over 17 million French households were equipped with home or handheld gaming consoles.
How Oink can help F2P developers tap into the young adult market
The monetization of the under-18 gaming demographic presents significant challenges for free-to-play developers, primarily due to regulatory compliance, parental concerns regarding unauthorized spending, and the lack of accessible payment methods for minors.
- The under-18 gaming demographic represents a massive market with an annual spending power of £3 billion in the UK and $200 billion in the US.
- Free-to-play developers struggle to monetize minors due to regulatory compliance like COPPA, the lack of traditional payment methods for children, and high rates of 'friendly fraud' chargebacks.
- Oink functions as a secure intermediary by allowing parents to fund digital wallets with monthly allowances, removing the need for minors to store credit card data or personal information.
Essential Video Game News: Market, Use, Consumption - France and Europe (June 2014)
The video game industry in France and Europe is currently undergoing a significant transition driven by the launch of eighth-generation consoles.
- European video game industry turnover rose by 20.4% in the first half of 2014, driven primarily by a 67.4% surge in hardware sales.
- Eighth-generation home console launches (Wii U, Xbox One, PS4) outperformed the seventh generation by 14% in value during the first two quarters of 2014.
- As of the end of 2013, the French market maintained an installed base of 15.1 million home consoles and 17.1 million handheld consoles.
The Game Bakers' Emeric Thoa on its social beat-'em up Combo Crew
Combo Crew represents a strategic effort by the French indie studio The Game Bakers to adapt the traditional beat-'em-up genre for mobile devices.
- The Game Bakers developed Combo Crew to adapt traditional arcade beat-'em-up mechanics for mobile by replacing complex button inputs with a simplified four-directional swipe system.
- The game utilizes an asynchronous multiplayer model that allows players to join friends' sessions to clear levels and restore health, mimicking the cooperative experience of classic couch co-op titles.
- Core gameplay progression is driven by tactical customization, where players select specific move sets to balance between high-speed, multi-hit combos and slower, high-damage strikes.