2023-11-22 22:30:00
Rock Bailey is kidnapped while leaving a jazz club. What happened to him ? This is the investigation that Arte proposes to carry out in video games To Hell with the Ugly, released in May, inspired by a novel by Boris Vian. Beyond the cult reference, a creative universe – in this case, the trendy Los Angeles of the 1950s – and a game where « le gameplay [la façon de jouer] […] strives, while unfolding a rhythmic narrative, to provide an enjoyable gaming experience,” completes a press release on the subject. This is a reflection of what Arte wishes to achieve in this area, where it took its first steps ten years ago. In a decade, he has co-produced seventeen games, edited twelve and eight are in production. Five million units have been downloaded and more than half of sales (55%) are made outside Europe. If the video game industry is heavy ($184 billion in revenue generated worldwide in 2023, according to the specialist firm Newzoo), “video games also touch on the field of creation and the field of culture, depicts Marianne Lévy-Leblond, director of digital creations at Arte France. As such, there was something quite natural about Arte being interested in it. And it’s an audience that the channel wants to reach.”
Far from mainstream games, Arte has entered the field of “author’s games”. The projects it selects, among all those received, 300 this year for example, have a common touch: creativity, ability to surprise in tone, theme or even gameplay, defense of themes such as the environment, diversity . “We want to produce memorable and accessible games for all audiences,” adds Adrien Larouzée, responsible for managing digital projects. If in 2013, Arte had started in the co-production of games, it then took on the additional role of publisher, which forced it to diversify its expertise, for example in distribution. The team develops three projects per year. Among those planned for 2024-2025 are Les Merlies, featuring a population of birds, 30 Birdsinspired by Persian mythology, and Gloomy Eyesadapted from an already existing virtual reality experience – a unique case.
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Arte recognizes that it has no obligation to be profitable or, at least, that the commercial issue is not its primary criterion. Its paid games do not contain and a part (prequel, spin-off, etc.) is offered free of charge. “The audiovisual industry is pre-financing, video games are getting closer to cinema: it is in its exploitation that a good part of its economy is found”, indicates Marianne Lévy-Leblond. No separate, structured team on the subject: the people involved are the same as on other creations intended for Arte’s digital platforms, particularly augmented and virtual reality projects. “A game involves around ten people”, however, specifies the director. Same thing on the communication side. It’s the in-house that takes care of it, largely covered when, for example, Squeezie, in 2017, tested an in-house game called Bury me my love, a boon for visibility. At the same time, Arte produces the magazine Play day on Twitch. The games are also presented at events or awards ceremonies.
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