Little by little, esports are charting their course and becoming more and more solidly structured. Since July 1, 2017, professional players have legal status in France as employees with a fixed-term contract (from 1 to 5 years), renewable indefinitely and without grace period. Well-known esports players also benefit from social protection.
According to Statista, France had, in 2021, 915 registered esports players, second only to the United States (3,630), but just ahead of Germany (900). Flagship esports countries Brazil (889) and South Korea (844) have even fewer.
France at the forefront of esports legislation
First steps that are an encouraging sign, acknowledges François-Xavier Denièle, vice president in charge of esports and competitive gaming at Ubisoft. “France is a fairly advanced market in terms of legislation and the discussions with the state are really interesting,” he explains. “We really see an interest from public authorities in the development of electronic sports.” It must be said that general esports meetings have already been organized and that President Emmanuel Macron has also made decisions in this regard to make France “a place of world esports” with the organization of the finals of the most prestigious competitions.
a greater than Counter-Strike: GO It is already scheduled for next May. But others will follow like him Trackmania Gameson which Ubisoft is working by 2024. “It will be very innovative, very different, like the game,” underlines François-Xavier Denièle about a title that has already experienced multiple competitions, the most famous of which is the one promoted by the streamer ZeratoR.
For the esports administrator, the recognition of esports by public authorities is an important first step. But this must also go through the European Union to review the competences between the regions of the world and carry out “cohesion work”. “There is a real issue around receiving players, visas, transferring players from one region to another for competitions,” he said. “We are not like sports to plan long in advance. We often know very late which team will participate in a competition.”
In order to strengthen the framework for esports players and teams, or simply the place of esports gaming in France, he believes that the place of associations in the ecosystem needs to be better defined. We must also better protect the player and find him a well-defined place in the job market.
What about esports at the Olympics?
France is thus a driving force in the search for a legislative framework at the European level. But this is not the only issue in which he fights for recognition of the place of esports. There are also the Olympic Games. The inclusion of competitive video games in the Olympic calendar has long been rumored. But this possibility has gathered as many supporters as detractors. Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, argued in 2020 that esports could be admitted to the Olympic program one day, but “it all depends on when that day comes.” From Brazil to Japan passing through Germany or France, we hope soon.
An association that can only get ahead, according to the head of Ubisoft. “On both sides we have known each other for many years,” he explains. “We are maturing and it will be interesting to see how we respect each other’s DNA and values. But I think the Olympics really have an increasing interest in esports gaming, what kind of model do we want to see with But I think we’re going in the correct address”.
It remains to be seen which party will win and be entitled to Olympic laurels. At Ubisoft, we obviously expect the house title to be retained, but the tenors of the industry, of League of Legends TO dota 2 going by fifa EITHER pubgthey will also be neck to neck to be the lucky ones.
Beginnings of a possible arrival at the Olympic Games, the Asian Games, organized in autumn 2023, will host esports events for the first time, with a medal at stake, and among the first in dispute: Dota 2, FIFA, Hearthstone, League of Legends either street fighter v. The first test for many publishers, but also gamers, could take the form of the first Olympic Esports Week hosted in Singapore on June 22-25, 2023.
Source: BFM TV
