This is the big return of Paris Games Week at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center, from Wednesday November 2 to Sunday November 6, 2022. The event had been put on stand-by during the health crisis linked to Covid-19 , but the Syndicate of Leisure Software Publishers (SELL), its organizer, wanted to put the capital back at the heart of international gaming, after the cancellation of E3 in Los Angeles last June and a lackluster Gamescom in Cologne last August.
And good news, the main players in the game console market, PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox, were present this year for this major video game fair very oriented towards the general public. The PGW had to abandon its ambition to establish itself as an essential trade show for the industry in Europe, with announcements from manufacturers, as PlayStation was able to do a few years ago. Failing to be a trade fair between professionals as its competitors could be…
The general public orientation suits Fnac rather well, which has always been associated with the event, being the show’s official store. The group returns to its heart, with the “PGW Stage with Fnac” on which the many influencers mobilized for the occasion will parade. Charlotte Massicault, multimedia and gaming director at Fnac Darty, talks about this partnership and the group’s ambitions in gaming.
Charlotte Massicault, multimedia and gaming director at Fnac Darty © Fnac Darty
We are very happy to find the PGW. We were the official store before the health crisis. In 2019, we started to organize gaming events. We are in a process where gaming has become quite strategic. It seemed obvious to us to be present for the restart. What the PGW lacks is the digital dimension to go beyond and broadcast on a larger scale. We are the privileged partner of the PGW-Fnac stage on which there will be ten events and 15 hours of live: contests, duels, with retransmissions on Twitch, fnac.com. And we also have a 350 sqm shop in the living room.
I cannot give you figures on the weight of gaming within our group. What I can tell you, however, is that we address gaming in a different way. Culture is essential for Fnac and gaming is a cultural product for us. It is a complete ecosystem. We create events around gaming like the Fnac Gaming Tour. It is a very flourishing market.
In the world of the PC in particular, gaming is taking up more and more space. It is the only ray which is growing. The weight of the hardware is important at Fnac. It’s quite structuring for the group. Even for Darty. On consoles, we are gaining more and more market share. We also resist digitalization.
Indeed, it allows us to seek out a younger clientele. But despite everything, these communities interest us. These are people we want to attract to us. We are going to hold bigger and bigger events. It is a long term strategy.