Publication of the 8th annual Barometer on video games in France in 2023
(Paris, France) - October 24, 2023 - SNJV (French Video Games Syndicate), today published the 8th edition of its annual state of the French video games industry, which presents a yearly snapshot of the industry. This 2023 edition shows the industry's key learnings for 2022 through infographics on the economic and financial situation, video game production and the perspectives of companies in France.
The so-called “barometer” was produced thanks to a survey conducted by the SNJV among 577 video game development companies between February 28 and June 26, 2023. This document was presented today during a press conference to video game professionals gathered in Paris.
Thanks to the annual barometer, the only large-scale study of the video game sector in France, industry observers have access to reliable indicators and data every year, enabling them to better understand France's leading cultural and technology industry.
Key takeaways of the year 2022:
- The year 2022 saw French production once again shine internationally: 85% of studios consider France to be an attractive territory.
- With Covid reshuffling the deck, remote working and flexibility have become industry trends, with a third of companies adopting full-time remote working. One company out of two is located in regional areas, demonstrating the decisive role played by the industry's regional ecosystems. The employment stability is also highlighted, with 76% of permanent contracts, testifying the attractiveness of these companies. Job growth is still on the uptrend, with over 52% of companies planning to hire in 2023.
Economic situation and video game production
- The growth of video game studios is set to continue in 2023, as demonstrated by the sales figures achieved in 2022, with 14.4% of studios reporting sales revenues above 10 million euros (6.4% in 2020). Nearly 10% of surveyed studios also raised funds in 2022.
- While the number of video games in production is down by 7% between 2022 and 2020, the number of video games released remains stable: in 2022, development studios seem more confident about their ability to deliver their games. It should be noted that today, 68% of published video games are original creations.
- French production is still characterized by a strong independent editorial position (39% of production). Publishers have a growing influence from year to year: while in 2019, 39% of studios worked with a publisher, this figure will rise to 53% in 2020, and 62% in 2022. This is excellent news in a context of increasingly complex and costly market access.
Gender diversity on the rise in studios
- Women now make up 24% of production teams, up 10 points in 4 years. And 20% of them occupy managerial or executive positions, 9 points more than in 2020. This is a strong trend that continues every year.
