Lyon still in the game

When Resident Evil was released in 1996 on the first PlayStation, it was a huge critical and commercial success. In 2007, the American magazine Game Informer described it as “one of the most important games of all time.” Capcom’s title drew at least two of its key features – fixed camera angles and pre-rendered 2D backgrounds – from a French game developed in Lyon four years earlier : Alone in the Dark. This title was produced by Info-grames, a video game developer, publisher and distributor created in 1983 by Bruno Bonnell and Christophe Sapet, just two years following the release of the first French video game, in Saône-et-Loire: Le Bagnard (Bagman). A champion of the French touch, alongside companies like Cryo Interactive, Kalisto and Ubisoft, Info-grames was a driving force in the French video game industry for two decades. 

Its fortunes changed in 2003. An ambitious merger with the faltering American giant Atari marked the beginning of the end for Lyon’s key player. From its ashes, however, would rise many of the studios that would go on to become mainstays of the local video games scene, such as Eden Games, Ivory Tower and Étranges Libellules. As for Arkane, it was created in 1999 by a former Infogrames employee, Raphael Colantonio. This scattering of talent throughout the agglomeration would enable Lyon to remain one of the strongholds of interactive entertainment. Over the years, the city developed assets to welcome and encourage the creation of video games, attracting Electronic Arts (FIFA, Battlefield) and Bandai Namco (Elden Ring, Naruto Shippuden), which located their French teams just a stone’s throw from Infogrames’ former buildings, with their amazing boat-inspired architecture, in the 9th district. Here in Lyon, we like to make great video games in inspiring settings: Arkane is located at La Sucrière and the studio Virtuos is in the Hôtel-Dieu building.

The privileged relationship between Lyon and this industry is now deeply rooted in local culture

Lyon, a stronghold of the French video game industry

From Little Big Adventure to V-Rally, Dishonored, The Crew, Space Run and Flat Eye, projects of all sizes are raising the profile of video games in the Rhône-Alpes region. Arkane, which opened  subsidiary in Texas in 2006, now belongs to Microsoft. The American giant provides it with the resources to realise its teams’ creative visions (it employs around 250 people), whether they lead to success, such as with Dishonored and Deathloop, or a commercial disappointment, like the recent Redfall. Elsewhere, organisations like Monkey Moon (Night Call, Flat Eye) and RyseUp (Roboquest) rely on external companies to fund, market and distribute titles with more modest ambitions. In this respect, the Lyon agglomeration is representative of this multi-faceted indus try, where resourceful indie video game makers work alongside suited executives. The privileged relationship between Lyon and this industry is now deeply rooted in local culture. Video games are everywhere to be found: in shops, amusement arcades, bars, museums and even schools. From Bellecour École to Gamagora and Gaming Campus, many higher education institutions (often private) now run courses to learn how to create digital entertainment. Studio places are still expensive, especially in the Lyon region, but the upsurge in training courses is a sign of the sector’ overall health of the sector. A well-structured industry. Lyon, a stronghold of the French video game industry.

What if video games could save  the world ?

Now a central part of our lives, as an audiovisual and digital form of expression, video games are playing the leading role in the new season of experimentation at Les Subs. Invited for a residency, the collective Sous les Néons and the artist Maéva Longvert are moving into the Hangar for three weeks to create a hybrid set bringing together researchers, gamers, designers and artists. The idea is to use video games to help the living world by dreaming up new virtual experiences, for awareness-raising, adaptation and consumption (something very tangible), in the face of environmental challenges. The general public is invited to play, take part in workshops and meetings, and enjoy immersive concerts and playformances. 
les-subs.com

Three questions for Sylvain Passot

CEO of the Villeurbanne-based studio âsstech games. Their last game, Ravenswatch, is avalaible on PC via the plateform steam in early access.

© Susie Waroude

How did you start working in video games? 

It was in 2002, after graduating. I studied computing at an engineering school and started out as a programmer at Étranges Libellules, which closed down for economicreasons. At the time, a few indie developers were managing to put out games, like Super Meat Boy and Braid. I founded Passtech Games and began developing Space Run on my own. I knew I was able to make a video game, but creating a company, managing the budget, selling the game, promoting it... all of that is a different ball game. I reached out to service providers for all the things I didn’t know how to do, like the art and sound, and the game designer Adrien Cochet helped me put my work in perspective. Today, there are twenty or so of us at the studio.

What’s the hardest thing about developing a game?

Managing to stand out from the crowd. I feel like thereare fewer and fewer technical barriers with the new tools available, like Unity and editors that are accessible to all. At the time of the first Space Run (Editor’s note: 2014), there were ten games released a week on Steam. With Galaxy (Editor’s note: 2016), there were ten every day and, for Masters of Anima (Editor’s note: 2018), there were already more than 100 games a week! More than ever, you need to release something that’s different and high-quality, with fairly wide appeal. 

Is Lyon still a good place to make video games?

Here, it’s possible to have beautiful premises and a good quality of life. Video game studios came together to create an association: Game Only. It’s very active, very dynamic and it’s doing a lot of good. Studios communicate more with each other. There are joint actions and it’s easy to meet other people working in the same field. The diversity of studio sizes, project types and styles was something we had kind of lost at one point, and it’s good to get it back.

*Game jam: a game creation session with a time limit, often with a given theme and open to all.
*Early access: putting a game on sale while it is still being developed, to make improvements based on community feedback.
*Game designer: the person who sets the rules of the game.

A multiplayers field

Finally, at the end of the chain are the players. Here too, things have changed a lot over the 50 years of console history. The smoke-filled amusement arcades of the 90s fizzled out. Le Strike in Part-Dieu closed its doors long ago and the retro-gaming shop GameSpirit, near Les Cordeliers, stepped in to fill its shoes as the place to be for gamers. More modern, Tête dans les Nuages (at the Confluence shopping centre and soon coming to Part-Dieu) offers a winning combination of arcade games, VR and sports games. Gaming has also made its way into bars, which organise casual tournaments with games like Mario Kart and Smash Bros. Each neighbourhood has a meeting place for gamers. There’s Soif! and the Grooverie in the 1st district, AFK Bar and Livestation DIY in the 7th. If you keep an eye out, you’ll also spot gaming graffiti on the city’s streets. They are dotted with Space Invader pixels and Marios dressed up as pop culture icons (like Obelix, Grendizer and Darth Vader) by the Lyon-based street artist In the Woup. There are also events for gamers: Playformances (exhibitions and performances) at the Théâtre de l’Élysée, symphony concerts at the auditorium, a giant Pac Man at the Fête des Lumières (Festival of Lights), geeky bric-a-brac sales, eSports competitions and game jams organised by Game Dev Party... With something for all tastes and styles each month, Lyon is a gamer’s paradise. Ready to join in?

© Susie Waroude

La Tête dans les nuages Our tip to survive an afternoon in this temple of entertainment ? Don't forget to bing earplugs !