François Renou, publisher and producer of independent video games

Graduating in 2012 from the first class of the Mastère Spécialisé Designer d'expérience interactive et ludique - Cnam-Enjmin / GOBELINS Paris, François Renou created Opal Game, a video game production and publishing company in 2017. He looks back on his career and the different services he offers his customers.

I began by studying computer engineering. I did my first internships in the video game industry, first at Lexis Numérique as a quality tester, then at Ubisoft as a project manager. Following these two experiences, I decided to specialize in video games by enrolling in the Master IDE program at Cnam-Enjmin / GOBELINS Paris.

I found my first job in video games thanks to " Type: Rider ", our end-of-studies project with Cosmografik, Charles Ayats, Jeremy Quentin and Elyes Chater. The game was then marketed by ARTE and co-published by Bulkypix, a company specializing in mobile games, where I was hired as Project Manager. I worked in the sales department and drew up specifications for the various customers. The company closed down about five years later, and I went into business for myself.

It's a one-man video game production and publishing company. I sometimes call on a network of freelancers when I'm working on larger projects.

I mainly work as a consultant for companies with game design needs. I may be asked to produce consultancy documents or review projects to improve them. I also offer turnkey developments. In this case, I'll work on a game with a team of freelancers. I've positioned myself as a resource that can bring teams to companies.

As far aspublishing is concerned, I've noticed that micro-developers, i.e. very small teams of one or two people, need marketing and technical skills to get their games out on the various platforms. They don't have access to traditional publishers, so I positioned myself in this market.

Traditionally, the publisher will finance part of the game and, in return, earn revenue from it once it's released. In my case, I'm going to help microstructures complete their projects and earn a percentage on the games. It's more of an industrial contribution than a purely financial one. In a way, I complement the team.

Climatrisq

I specialize in the gamification sector. The last big project I worked on was " Powerz ", an educational game launched by a French start-up, which adapts to the age and level of the child to offer evolving content. I worked as part of a team on the graphic design and production of one of the game's levels, for 6 months.

I also worked with the CNRS on " ClimarisQ ", a game designed to raise awareness of the consequences of global warming. The CNRS wanted to share a simulator with the general public by developing a game. It was presented on Science Day this autumn. It is available on IOS and Android.

I also collaborated with TF1 on the " Marble mania " series, for which I helped the channel design a range of toys, and on the new version of the game " Paf le chien ", based on the animated series of the same name.

I'm currently developing an application for a board game publisher based on the " Loup Garou " game, to guide game play.

I also work with more traditional video game companies who may need a skill at a particular time.

As far aspublishing is concerned, I've mainly released two games. The first, " Powernode ", a simple little puzzle game designed to be in line with Apple's editorial line, has been hugely promoted on the store thanks to its aesthetics. The game had many selections and sold very well.

The second, " Un pas fragile ", was originally a student project at ENJMIN, led by youtuber Doc Geraud, on which I worked with him on communication and marketing. The game won the Pégase award for the best first video game, a new ceremony set up in 2020 by the SNJP, based on the same principles as the Césars.

A fragile step

The school opened my eyes to the whole world of video games (board games, toys, connected toys...) and to gamification , which was still a fairly new concept at the time. We had some pioneering speakers on the subject who gave me very early training in this emerging market, which was a real asset for the rest of my career.

I also discoveredinteractivity at that time. I wasn't necessarily aware that UX design work wasn't that far removed from video games. We did a lot of collaborative work with the master's program dedicated to UX design. The training really broadened my horizons and made me realize that I could also be a consultant, a salesman...it opened my mind in terms of jobs.

Powernode

Highlighting school projects, well presented they can have real value. Thanks to " Type: Rider " and the projects I'd done in engineering school, I was able to concretely show my interest in video games and my work.

The most important thing in setting up a freelance business is to build up a network of customers. It's vital to keep in touch with the people you meet, even if it's in a very simple way, like adding them on LinkedIn.

Powerz

One of my first goals had been to grow and start employing people, and I'd even started to take on office space, but I had to rethink everything when the covid came along.

I realized that what really interested me was being able to move upmarket in projects and remain free to choose my customers. I think the next objective for Opal Games will be to develop in-house productions within a minimalist context.

My ambition is to do more personal, more artistic projects. I have the feeling that the current industry ecosystem doesn't make it so easy to push creative, independent proposals. The idea would be to create a somewhat alternative universe, with a cooperative, local economy, and why not create a small community of freelancers.

Interview by Sophie Jean