Wikipedia

Gameloft

Gameloft SE is a French video game company based in Paris, founded in December 1999 by Ubisoft co-founder Michel Guillemot. The company operates 18 development studios worldwide, and publishes games for the mobile devices, consoles and PC. Formerly a public company traded at the Paris Bourse, Gameloft was acquired by media conglomerate Vivendi in 2016.

Gameloft SE
Company typeSubsidiary
Euronext: GFT
IndustryVideo games
Founded14 December 1999; 24 years ago (1999-12-14)
FounderMichel Guillemot
Headquarters
Paris
,
France
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Revenue258,000,000 Euro (2017) Edit this on Wikidata
Number of employees
3,400 (2024)
ParentVivendi (2016–present)
Websitegameloft.com
Footnotes / references
[1]

History

edit

Game development strategy

edit

Gameloft was founded by Michel Guillemot, one of the five founders of Ubisoft, on 14 December 1999.[2][3] By February 2009, Gameloft had shipped over 200 million copies of its games since its IPO,[4] as well as 2 million daily downloads of its games via the App Store for iOS.[5][6] Gameloft's chief financial officer (CFO), Alexandre de Rochefort, noted that the company's games generated about 400 times more revenue on iOS than on Android, partially because Google did not develop its Google Play storefront to "entice customers to actually buy products"; as a result of which Gameloft heavily cut its investments in Android games development in November 2009.[7][8] In July 2010, Gameloft instead attempted to sell Android games directly through its website, avoiding the use of Google Play.[9]

In a May 2011 keynote, de Rochefort stated that he wanted to avoid moving the company to the NASDAQ stock exchange, as the U.S. games market appeared to be nothing more than a large economic bubble, especially when seeing Zynga's then US$10 billion total stock value.[10]

Gameloft's games have often been accused of being clones of other properties;[11][12][13][14] when asked about it at the November 2011 Consumer Electronics Show, chief executive officer (CEO) Michel Guillemot stated "The videogame industry has always played around a limited number of themes. There is maybe one new idea a year."[15][16] In response to many users commenting on Guillemot's remarks, Levi Buchanan of IGN defended Gameloft, stating that its games were usually well-polished, in contrary to the original concepts' games.[17]

By July 2014, Gameloft announced that they would focus more strongly on quality than on quantity, as was stated to have previously been the case.[18]

In April 2013, Texan company Lodsys filed a lawsuit against Gameloft, among other mobile game developers, for infringing its patent on in-app purchases.[19] Similar lawsuits were previously intervened by Apple Inc., who claim to have licensed the technology from Lodsys for usage in its App Store.[20]

In February 2012 and February 2016, Gameloft penned publishing contracts with GREE, Inc. and GungHo Online Entertainment, respectively, to facilitate its presence in the Asian market.[21][22]

Vivendi subsidiary

edit

In October 2015, French media conglomerate Vivendi announced that they had acquired a 6.2% stake in Gameloft's stock,[23] which was quickly raised to 10.2% a few days later.[24] By February 2016, Vivendi had acquired 30% in the company, and launched a hostile takeover bid.[25][26] In accordance with French law, Vivendi started a tender offer to acquire further shares.[27]

Following the announcement, Gameloft's board of directors strongly advised shareholders against selling stock to Vivendi to avoid the hostile takeover.[28] By May 2016, Vivendi had won over the majority of shareholders, enabling them to move forward in the takeover.[29]

The acquisition was completed on 1 June 2016, with Vivendi having acquired 56%, an absolute majority over Gameloft's ownership.[30][31] Employees of Gameloft were presented with an open letter welcoming them to the new parent company's family.[32][33]

Analysts believed that the takeover was just the first step towards also purchasing Ubisoft, another video game venture founded by Guillemot and his brothers, although Vivendi only held a 17.7% minority in that company at the time.[34][35][36] In response to Vivendi's actions, Guillemot announced that he would step down from his company and join his brother Yves Guillemot at Ubisoft to prevent it from also being taken over.[37][38] Guillemot later clarified that his stepping-down would take effect on 29 June.[39][40]

On 8 June, the Guillemot brothers announced that they were regretfully selling their ownership in Gameloft to Vivendi.[41][42] The transaction awarded Vivendi another 21.7% in Gameloft's capital.[43][44] After Guillemot departed from Gameloft on 29 June, Vivendi set up a new board of directors for the company, with Vivendi's present chief operating officer (COO), Stéphane Roussel, appointed Gameloft's chairman and CEO, and Gameloft's previous CFO, de Rochefort, additionally taking over the management of the company's 39 subsidiaries.[45] At that point, Vivendi owned 95.94% of Gameloft's share capital.[46]

Corporate affairs

edit

Gameloft is headquartered in the 9th arrondissement of Paris and operates 17 game development studios worldwide.[47][1]

Studios

edit

In July 2011, Glenn Watson, lead programmer of Gameloft's Auckland offshoot, stated that the company's management created a "constant sense of urgency" at its studio, having employees regularly work 12- to 14-hour days.[48] A new studio in New Orleans was opened in August 2011, taking advantage of tax breaks granted by the government of Louisiana in July 2009 to establish 150 new jobs.[49]

On 29 January 2013, Gameloft's India studio in Hyderabad was closed midway through the workday, leaving 250 people unemployed.[50][51][52] Between June and August 2015, Gameloft's Tokyo location laid off roughly 80 people, effectively closing the studio.[53] Additionally, on 8 July 2015, all operations at the company's New York City office were halted, and as many as 100 employees were laid off.[54][55] Shortly after, in September 2015, Gameloft's Seattle studio was closed down and its 15 employees were let go.[56][57][58] The studio was opened just a year prior to its closure.[59][60][61] Seven studios were closed in total in 2015.[62][63] Guillemot stated that these actions were taken to accommodate its "ambitious cost reduction program", instantiated after the company saw a net loss of €16.6 million in the fiscal year that ended on 30 June 2015.[64][65]

In January 2016, Gameloft opened a Nigerian marketing office for regional expansions,[66] and shut down its Auckland studio, firing roughly 160 employees.[67][68] At the time, Gameloft Auckland was New Zealand's largest video game studio.[69] Gameloft's Valencia, Spain, location was shuttered in April 2016.[70] In July 2017, Gameloft appointed John-Paul Burke as country manager for its subsidiaries in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[71] Gameloft UK later closed in December 2019.[72] Gameloft Budapest (founded 2012) was closed in March 2023.[73]

On February 22, 2024, Gameloft cut 38 jobs from its Lviv office in Ukraine and an unknown number of employees from its Toronto office.[74] On July 10, 2024, the Cluj office was closed and its 136 employees were laid off.[75]

List of studios
Name Location Founded/acquired Ref.
Gameloft Barcelona Barcelona, Spain 2006 [76]
Gameloft Bucharest Bucharest, Romania 2000 [77]
Gameloft Kharkiv / Gameloft Kharkov Kharkiv, Ukraine 2007 [78]
Gameloft Montreal / Gameloft Montréal Montreal, Canada 2000 [79]
Gameloft Brisbane Brisbane, Australia 2014 [80]
Gameloft Cluj Cluj-Napoca, Romania 2010 [81]
Gameloft South-East Asia
2004 [82]
Gameloft Lviv Lviv, Ukraine 2014 [83]
Gameloft Sofia Sofia, Bulgaria 2005 [84]
Gameloft Toronto Toronto, Canada 2011 [85]
Gameloft Paris Paris, France 2022 [86]
FreshPlanet New York City, United States 2018 [87]
The Other Guys Buenos Aires, Argentina 2020 [88]

Services

edit

In October 2019, Gameloft announced a partnership with mobile operator Gruppo TIM to open TIM I Love Games, a games subscription service for Android and iOS, exclusive to Italy and TIM customers.[89]

Games

edit
Main article: List of Gameloft games

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Corporate". Gameloft. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  2. ^ Buchanan, Levi (19 September 2005). "Mobile Luminaries: Michel Guillemot". IGN. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  3. ^ "Gameloft.com: The Global Online Entertainment Platform". Ubisoft (Press release). 14 December 1999. Archived from the original on 2 March 2000. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  4. ^ Fahey, Mike (16 February 2009). "Gameloft Moves 200 Million Mobile Games". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  5. ^ Crecente, Brian (20 March 2009). "Gameloft Sells 2M iPhone Games". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  6. ^ Crecente, Brian (20 September 2010). "Gameloft Sells More than 20 Million Games on App Store". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  7. ^ Gibson, Ellie (23 November 2009). "Gameloft slashes Android investment". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  8. ^ "Gameloft cuts Android investment, claims others will follow". gamesindustry.biz. 23 November 2009. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  9. ^ "Gameloft Sidesteps Android Market for Mobile Assassin's Creed, HAWX". Wired. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  10. ^ Orland, Kyle (20 May 2011). "Gameloft CFO Warns Of Social Gaming 'Bubble'". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  11. ^ McWhertor, Michael (12 January 2011). "So, Is This Your Legend of Zelda Rip-off, Gameloft?". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  12. ^ Fahey, Mike (29 January 2013). "Is This Gameloft's Team Fortress 2 or Battlefield Heroes?". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  13. ^ "Gameloft's 'GTA'-like 'Gangstar Vegas' Hits the App Store – TouchArcade". toucharcade.com. 7 June 2013. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  14. ^ Fahey, Mike (16 September 2010). "Gameloft Shows Off Impressive New Grand Theft Auto And Diablo Clones". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  15. ^ Dutton, Fred (11 January 2011). "Gameloft answers game cloning charge". eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  16. ^ Buchanan, Levi (10 January 2011). "Guillemot's Goal: Gameloft on Every Screen". IGN. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  17. ^ Buchanan, Levi (3 December 2010). "Editorial: In Defense of Gameloft". IGN. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  18. ^ "Gameloft pushing quality over quantity". gamesindustry.biz. 10 July 2014. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  19. ^ "Patent troll Lodsys sues mobile game makers, despite Apple's intervention". arstechnica.com. 8 April 2013. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  20. ^ emilygera (9 April 2013). "Patent troll Lodsys sues Gameloft and Disney for use of in-app purchases". Polygon. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  21. ^ "Gree secures publishing deals with Gameloft and Ubisoft". gamesindustry.biz. 21 February 2012. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  22. ^ Kerr, Chris (3 February 2016). "Gameloft and GungHo strike up new mobile partnership". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  23. ^ Nutt, Christian (14 October 2015). "Former Activision owner Vivendi takes stakes in Ubisoft, Gameloft". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  24. ^ Nutt, Christian (22 October 2015). "Vivendi ups its stakes in Ubisoft and Gameloft, may buy more stock". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  25. ^ "Vivendi in process of mandatory takeover bid for Gameloft". gamesindustry.biz. 19 February 2016. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  26. ^ Hall, Charlie (25 February 2016). "Report: Ubisoft seeking investors to defend against Vivendi takeover". Polygon. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  27. ^ Kerr, Chris (19 February 2016). "Vivendi ups stakes in Gameloft, begins mandatory takeover". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  28. ^ "Gameloft board advises against selling stock to Vivendi". gamesindustry.biz. 29 February 2016. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  29. ^ Frank, Allegra (27 May 2016). "Report: Vivendi moving ahead with 'hostile takeover' of Gameloft (update)". Polygon. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  30. ^ "Vivendi edges closer to Ubisoft with hostile Gameloft takeover". pcgamer.com. June 2016. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  31. ^ Schreier, Jason (June 2016). "Vivendi Takes Over Gameloft, Eyes Ubisoft Next". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  32. ^ Kerr, Chris (June 2016). "Vivendi succeeds in hostile Gameloft takeover". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  33. ^ "Vivendi sends letter to welcome Gameloft employees to their new job". destructoid.com. June 2016. Archived from the original on 5 July 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  34. ^ Porter, Matt (2 June 2016). "Vivendi Could Take Over Ubisoft After Acquiring Gameloft". IGN. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  35. ^ Matulef, Jeffrey (2 June 2016). "Vivendi has seized control of Guillemot brothers' mobile publisher Gameloft". eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  36. ^ Pereira, Chris (3 June 2016). "As Ubisoft Worries About a Takeover, Gameloft CEO Addresses His Company's Future". gamespot.com. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  37. ^ Francis, Bryant (June 2016). "Report: Gameloft CEO stepping down after Vivendi takeover". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  38. ^ "Vivendi's Gameloft takeover may spark resignation of Ubisoft co-founder". Ars Technica. 2 June 2016. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  39. ^ "Gameloft CEO Michel Guillemot Defiant In Email To Staff, Will Step Down June 29". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  40. ^ Frank, Allegra (1 June 2016). "Report: Gameloft CEO to step down following Vivendi takeover (update)". Polygon. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  41. ^ Good, Owen S. (8 June 2016). "Vivendi completes takeover of Gameloft as Guillemots sell stake". Polygon. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  42. ^ "Ubisoft founders to sell all remaining control in Gameloft to Vivendi". Destructoid. 9 June 2016. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  43. ^ "Gameloft CEO to step down, Vivendi issues letter to employees". gamesindustry.biz. 8 June 2016. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  44. ^ Paget, Mat (8 June 2016). "Vivendi to Buy Remaining Control of Gameloft as Guillemots Agree to Sell". gamespot.com. Archived from the original on 22 July 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  45. ^ "Vivendi COO Stephane Roussel named Gameloft CEO". gamesindustry.biz. 29 June 2016. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  46. ^ "Gameloft's board resigns, names new boss". Reuters. 29 June 2016. Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  47. ^ "World Presence". Gameloft. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  48. ^ "Former Gameloft Auckland head studio programmer calls working conditions 'dangerous'". Engadget. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  49. ^ "Gameloft creates 150 jobs with New Orleans studio". gamesindustry.biz. 15 August 2011. Archived from the original on 20 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  50. ^ Cifaldi, Frank (29 January 2013). "250 out of work as Gameloft suddenly shuts down its India studio [Updated]". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  51. ^ emilygera (30 January 2013). "Gameloft shuts down India-based studio at a loss of 200 jobs". Polygon. Archived from the original on 28 August 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  52. ^ "200 jobs lost as Gameloft closes Indian studio – MCV UK". mcvuk.com. 30 January 2013. Archived from the original on 22 July 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  53. ^ Wawro, Alex (4 September 2015). "Report: Gameloft lays off Tokyo devs weeks after debut game launch". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  54. ^ Wawro, Alex (8 July 2015). "Report: Gameloft lays off staff, shutters New York studio". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  55. ^ "Gameloft Closes Their NYC Studio, Lays Off All Development Staff – TouchArcade". toucharcade.com. 9 July 2015. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  56. ^ "Report: Gameloft closes Seattle studio". develop-online.net. 24 September 2015. Archived from the original on 27 November 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  57. ^ Wawro, Alex (23 September 2015). "Gameloft shutters another studio, this time in Seattle". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  58. ^ "Gameloft shutters Seattle studio". gamesindustry.biz. 24 September 2015. Archived from the original on 20 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  59. ^ "New Seattle studio for Gameloft". gamesindustry.biz. 17 November 2014. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  60. ^ "Gameloft opens new Seattle studio". develop-online.net. 18 November 2014. Archived from the original on 4 November 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  61. ^ "Another Gameloft studio shuts down - report - MCV UK". MCV. 24 September 2015. Archived from the original on 22 July 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  62. ^ "Gameloft has closed seven unprofitable studios in 2015 - MCV UK". MCV. 11 September 2015. Archived from the original on 22 July 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  63. ^ "Gameloft has closed seven studios so far in 2015". develop-online.net. 11 September 2015. Archived from the original on 23 April 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  64. ^ Wawro, Alex (10 September 2015). "'Disappointing' revenues account for Gameloft shuttering 7 studios". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  65. ^ "Gameloft has closed seven studios in 2015". gamesindustry.biz. 10 September 2015. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  66. ^ Kerr, Chris (22 January 2016). "Gameloft opens Nigerian office for regional expansion". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  67. ^ Nutt, Christian (27 January 2016). "Gameloft shuts down New Zealand studio". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  68. ^ "160 jobs cut as Gameloft closes New Zealand studio". gamesindustry.biz. 28 January 2016. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  69. ^ "Gameloft closure see New Zealand lose its largest studio". develop-online.net. 28 January 2016. Archived from the original on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  70. ^ Wawro, Alex (22 April 2016). "Report: Gameloft shuts down another studio, this time in Spain". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  71. ^ "Gameloft appoints new UK and Ireland country manager". gamesindustry.biz. 12 July 2017. Archived from the original on 20 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  72. ^ Batchelor, James (5 December 2019). "Gameloft UK shuts down". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  73. ^ Zrt, HVG Kiadó (7 March 2023). "Megkaptuk a hivatalos választ és indoklást a 90+ főt foglalkoztató Gameloft Budapest bezárásáról". hvg.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  74. ^ Griffiths, Daniel (22 February 2024). "Global layoffs at Gameloft as staff in Ukraine and Canada confirm redundancies". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  75. ^ "Planul francezilor de la Gameloft s-a concretizat: biroul din Cluj a fost închis şi 136 de angajaţi au fost concediaţi colectiv în iulie". Economica.net (in Romanian). 21 October 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  76. ^ "Gameloft Studios | Barcelona". Gameloft. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  77. ^ "Gameloft Studios | Bucharest". Gameloft. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  78. ^ "Gameloft Studios | Kharkov". Gameloft. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  79. ^ "Gameloft Studios | Montreal". Gameloft. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  80. ^ "Gameloft Studios | Brisbane". Gameloft. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  81. ^ "Gameloft Studios | Cluj". Gameloft. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  82. ^ "Gameloft Studios | South East Asia". Gameloft. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  83. ^ "Gameloft Studios | Lviv". Gameloft. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  84. ^ "Gameloft Studios | Sofia". Gameloft. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  85. ^ "Gameloft Studios | Toronto". Gameloft. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  86. ^ Astle, Aaron (18 May 2022). "Gameloft's newest studio opens near headquarters in Paris". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  87. ^ Takahashi, Dean (19 December 2018). "Gameloft acquires SongPop music trivia game maker FreshPlanet". VentureBeat. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  88. ^ Minotti, Mike (15 September 2020). "Gameloft acquires episode mobile storytelling games maker The Other Guys". VentureBeat. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  89. ^ Valentine, Rebekah (24 October 2019). "Gameloft partners with TIM Italy for new mobile subscription service". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gameloft&oldid=1255222125"