French President Emmanuel Macron has announced plans to establish a new international video game festival in France, emphasizing the medium's cultural significance. The announcement came during an address at the Lumiere Summit, a conference focused on the future of cinema and related media. Macron stated his belief that video games are an integral part of French culture, deserving recognition alongside other creative endeavors.
This initiative appears to be influenced by the considerable success of French-developed games. While not explicitly named by Macron, the critically acclaimed JRPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which achieved millions in sales and numerous awards, is understood to be a significant inspiration. France has a growing portfolio of successful game development, including titles from Ubisoft, the Plague Tale series, Remnant, Jusant, Chants of Sennaar, Sifu, Stray, and the classic Another World.
Macron highlighted the profound changes affecting cinema, television, animation, and video games, citing artificial intelligence and the rise of new platforms as key factors transforming audience habits. He stressed the need for international collaboration to navigate these challenges.
"Faced with challenges that know no borders, no nation can act alone," Macron stated, as reported by GamesRadar. He announced that France and South Korea, described as "two great nations of creation committed to cultural diversity and their sovereignty," would convene creators, producers, financiers, distributors, innovators, and policymakers. The ambition is to foster new alliances between creators, technologies, public and private entities, and various media forms, ensuring that this evolving landscape opens up new possibilities without homogenizing creative expression.
Details regarding the new festival's format and specific objectives have yet to be revealed. It remains to be seen if this event will differ significantly from existing French gaming events like Paris Games Week, potentially focusing more on cultural exchange rather than purely business aspects. The announcement underscores France's commitment to recognizing and nurturing its vibrant video game industry on a global stage.