Declining attendance but long-term ambitions
Since the post-pandemic recovery, Paris Games Week resumed timidly last year. Visitors are still there, but it will probably take some time before we get back to the good numbers before confinement. In addition, this year, the French video game show has been given a new lease of life with a redesigned organization. As a reminder, SELL, owner of the show since its creation in 2010, has entrusted the reins to a trio of organizers: Fimalac Entertainment, GL events Exhibitions and Webedia.
Despite a slightly less favorable context, the organizers emphasize that the 2025 edition was shorter (four days instead of five), but enhanced with extended hours and an opening evening accessible to the public for the first time. The SELL indicates that this result “ allows us to consider our five-year objectives: reaching 220,000 to 250,000 visitors “. As a reminder, the 2024 edition attracted 188,000 visitors and that of 2023, 187,000. Before the pandemic, the 2019 edition had recorded 317,000 visitors.
This decline can be explained by the reduction to four days, but also by increased competition (trade fairs, online events) and a shift towards a more hybrid and pop culture model. SELL had already mentioned that the 2025 edition aimed to become more than a video game show, by opening up more to manga, eSports, and collectible card games.
Our experience of Paris Games Week 2025
Like every year, we were on site to discover the exclusives of the show and chat with the people there. Fans were able to take advantage of impressive stands, notably that of Nintendo, which marked the occasion with the release of the Switch 2. While a large part of the stands highlighted titles already available, several highly anticipated games were also playable, such as Hyrule Warriors: The Seal Chronicles And Kirby Air Riders. For its part, Capcom has once again seen things big, with magnificent stands dedicated to Resident Evil 9, Monster Hunter And Onimushawithout forgetting a playable demo of Pragmata.
Bandai Namco was not left out, with a massive stand bringing together several key productions. Visitors could try My Hero Academia: All’s Justicealready seen at Gamescom 2025, but also some exclusives, notably the Switch 2 versions of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade And Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero. There was also a large space dedicated to Limit Zero Breakerswhich we were able to handle on site.
The show also offered numerous events and activities, ranging from retro arcade machines to a 7-meter climbing wall designed for Cairn. On the other hand, we will note a more limited Made in France division this year. Certainly, some already known productions like The Rogue Prince of Persia or the promising independent nugget MIO: Memories in Orbit were present, but the number of new French releases remained limited. Big names such as Microids or Amplitude Studios responded well to the call, but the independent space lacked a little freshness and discoveries.
We feel that the show wants to expand a little more, without disrupting the usual formula too much. In any case, for this year 2025. And you, did you have the chance to attend Paris Games Week 2025? Don’t hesitate to share your impressions of the show and your favorites from this edition!