Question 15818 — digital

Summary

Ms. Danielle Simonnet draws the attention of the Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty to the future of the video game industry in France. The video game industry in France is experiencing its worst social crisis in more than 20 years. In recent years, numerous layoffs and liquidations have taken place, notably Mi-Clos studio in 2024 (40 jobs eliminated), Starbreeze Paris in 2025 (23 jobs eliminated), Microïds Studio Paris in 2025 (50 jobs eliminated), Don't Nod in 2025 (58 jobs eliminated), Spiders (71 jobs eliminated). Furthermore, we must add the policy of “natural attrition” at Ubisoft which has eliminated 4,000 jobs worldwide in a few years and a plan to eliminate 200 jobs to come at the group's headquarters. This represents more than 1,000 jobs eliminated or threatened in the very short term, for a industry with between 10,000 and 12,000 workers of all statuses. This also has direct consequences on service providers, self-employed workers and specialized companies that are difficult to assess at present. These jobs are not recreated elsewhere, since the number of job offers fell by 71% between 2022 and 2025. These job losses also have a particularly strong impact on minorities, particularly gender minorities. The share of women in the industry fell from 24% in 2022 to 20% in 2024. Workers' unions in the sector systematically note that layoffs and job cuts impact gender minorities disproportionately. In 2003, the bursting of the internet bubble eliminated two thirds of video game jobs in France. The public authorities reacted by creating credit video games tax (CIJV) which made it possible to support French cultural production, but which also had the effect of making companies dependent on this method of financing without them being able to sustain the financing of French productions. This tax credit also leads to abuses due to the lack of control over compliance with the legislation. If it is theoretically subject to respect for the law, this is in no way the case in practice and companies exploit this loophole. Legal actions carried out by workers' unions for several years clearly demonstrate that companies are lawless zones. The short and medium term risks are numerous: the disappearance of historic companies, the destruction of thousands of jobs, a general loss of skills. In the long term, France risks the disappearance of independent techniques and technologies, a large-scale “brain drain”, the takeover of companies by unscrupulous or even hostile foreign groups, etc. There are also fears that employers will take advantage of the current crisis to weaken labor laws. The video game industry needs a comprehensive structural approach, including and directly protecting workers, to prevent the coming catastrophe, sustainably clean up the sector and continue to make France shine in video games. She asks him if he intends to put in place serious processes for the allocation and control of public aid by directly involving worker unions and what public policies are planned to help the video game sector.

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