He’s not necessarily the actor one would expect to find in the halls of Paris Games Week. However, Arte has been a partner of the fair for many years, present to present student video games from its beginnings led by its Digital division and now independent games with more than recognized qualities.
In the 2024 edition, visitors will be able to discover the poetic and graphically dazzling 30 birds (Studio Ram Ram Games, available November 28), they use their brains to find a friend lost in their empty apartment. Finding Fael (Studio Swing Swing Submarine) or follow the adventures of young Nena and her zombie friend Gloomy in the video game adaptation of darkness. gloomy eyes (Cactus Fishing Study).
These are some of the latest nuggets unearthed by Arte that will arrive in the coming months, also with the merliesa little pearl of wit and humor. For more than 10 years, the Franco-German channel has been stepping into video games with the same leitmotif that drives it to find projects that respond to the desire for originality and creativity.
More than 200 projects received each year and studies requesting
Every year, more than 200 projects arrive at the department’s offices and are studied by an editorial board, “the same team from the beginning!” says Arte, whose first game was Type Rider in 2013.
“It’s not just the editorial team, there are also the program directors,” explains Lili Blumers. “We have given ourselves the rule of all agreeing, listening to each other and uniting. It is also a principle, we support projects together and that gives us a lot of energy later to defend them. It is simpler.”
Over time, Arte has become a true player in the sector. It co-produces and publishes more and more titles, for PC, consoles and even virtual reality titles. “It took us a little time, but now we are perfectly identified and we are receiving great projects,” explains Leili Mir Khosravi, head of digital projects at Arte. The popularity of the Arte digital production service, particularly for video games, continues to grow and already surpasses French borders. Arte thus promotes a large number of Belgian games such as 30 Birds or even Swedish games with the upcoming arrival of the merlies to your catalog.
Being now considered by the developers as a potential publisher for their game is a form of recognition that the team appreciates. “Now we are everywhere,” laughs Leili Mir Khosravi. “Before, we contacted each other to make ourselves known at fairs, at festivals, through mutual aid projects, to say that we existed. Now we have demand.”
“Have original games in our line”
More than financial help, Arte offers support from the beginning of the project and presence throughout the entire process. “They come with a prototype at the beginning, in the best case a first playable prototype or even a simple intention, and that speaks to us,” says Leili Mir Khosravi. “We sensed the potential and jumped in with them, to advocate and support them during development.”
And for more than 10 years, the team is pleased to have always had the support of the presidency and Art direction for its video game project. “We have a permanent dialogue with creation, with French studios. We make author films, author series. We had to make original games, in our style,” summarizes Leili Mir Khosravi. And also have the desire to cover the game in its broadest scope to satisfy all players.
“We have the real challenge of making our games accessible, within the broad definition of accessibility, so that everyone can play them, both the general public and people with disabilities,” he adds. “It is also an argument in our search for projects and those to come. “There is a real problem in this for the industry now.” As in the entire industry, a true video game player, in short.
Source: BFM TV