Paris Games Week 2025

Time flies: the last time Bob went to a video game convention was in 2010¹ when Bobby was still cozy in his mother’s womb! Back then, I attended the Micromania Games Show², an event organized since 2002 by the largest video game retail chain in France. However, 2010 was special: MGS seamlessly transitioned—using the same venue and booths—into a brand-new convention organized by SELL³, the Syndicat des Éditeurs de Logiciels de Loisirs (basically a consortium of companies in the French video game industry tasked with defending the industry’s interests and image to the public and the state): the Paris Games Week, which replaced a show that had run its course, the Festival des Jeux Vidéo⁴. But Paris is too small for two video game conventions, and as Bob anticipated in his article at the time, 2010 was to be the last year for the Micromania Games Show (which would survive until 2015 as a one-night event) and the beginning of the Paris Games Week⁵ adventure. Fate can be playful: I was part of the 2010 debut of PGW and decided to return in 2025 (with Bobby and Bobette, who haven’t fit in their mother’s womb for quite some time…)—a year chosen by SELL to “reinvent” a convention⁶ struggling to recover from the global pandemic. Did this new beginning provide us with an unforgettable experience? Stay tuned for the next episode! (Well, the next paragraph, but that doesn’t sound as catchy!).

The Proposal of Paris Games Week 2025

Firstly, let’s acknowledge that the basic admission price remained reasonable: €29 for adults, €20 for teens, and free for the little ones. Premium tickets were available for the more dedicated attendees at nearly €100, but these guaranteed priority access to events held parallel to the main exhibition, which took place in two halls of the Paris Expo (more on that later). Meanwhile, the Dôme de Paris hosted these events: the finals of the convention contests, concerts, and more. In principle, it’s a feasible idea: while the “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” concert is perfectly justified as it’s the soundtrack of the year’s successful French video game⁷, the repeated—and likely costly—appearances of Bigflo and other YouTubers leave me more skeptical. Nevertheless, the idea was to broaden the convention to cover related areas.

Because the Paris Games Week aims to be a cultural event, not just a mere gathering of geeks, nerds, and other otakus! Being recognized as a cultural event in Paris⁸ or mentioned by state television⁹ is an honor that is earned! All jokes aside, it must be acknowledged that the Paris Games Week does provide a bit of visibility to our media. Or could it be the other way around? Having become the world’s leading entertainment industry for several years now¹⁰, video game production likely offers more visibility to the aforementioned media than it receives in return. But that’s another story entirely!

Nonetheless, the convention is generous in its offerings: video games, cosplay, role-playing games, Japanese pop culture, e-sports, concerts, and more—a wide range of activities supported by 203 exhibitors¹¹ with a packed schedule (here in French¹² and here in English¹³), all divided into 11 zones. Is this the formula for success?

Bob feels somewhat divided on this. While wandering through the Paris Games Week all day with Bobby and Bobette was really enjoyable, the gamer in me was left wanting more. The cause is clear and singular: a lack of present publishers, of (real) new releases, and announcements. A few lively booths like those of EVA¹⁴, Namco Bandai, and Fnac were not enough, in my opinion, to dispel the feeling of walking through a geek convention rather than a professional gaming trade show. Under these circumstances, it’s hard not to sense a bit of waste, as it seems to me that what PGW 2025 lacked wasn’t budget, but vision.

Nonetheless, the outing was enjoyable, but I believe it is legitimate to question the event’s future as attendance declines. For SELL, the new orientation of the convention is a long-term gamble¹⁵. I sincerely hope this gamble will pay off because the French video game industry needs a convention that is internationally recognized. This was precisely the aim of the Games France¹⁶ pavilion, which showcased French production over 600 square meters. However, it is regrettable that the organizers couldn’t attract big names in the industry. While it’s important to reserve space for French creators, the absence of giants like Sony, Rockstar, or Electronic Arts at a gaming convention aspiring to be world-class is unsettling. But enough about politics: what was the Paris Games Week 2025 actually like?

Paris Games Week 2025: Bob’s Experience

If you’re planning to explore the Paris Games Week, make sure to wear comfortable shoes, bring a bag for the goodies you’ll pick up along the way, and carry a good bottle of water. Bob learned this the hard way, having paid €19 for four 50cl bottles… But that’s the case at any convention! My visit took place on Thursday, the first day of the event, which I assumed would be less crowded than the weekend (I might have been wrong as I received an email from the organizers on Saturday offering discounted tickets for Sunday, indicating attendance wasn’t as high as expected). In practice, since the expo was organized over a large area, moving between booths was not an issue.

And what about testing the games on display? Inevitably, there’s some waiting, but nothing excessive: between 30 minutes to 1 hour on average for 10-15 minute game sessions, which is still reasonable. If you can, arrive early and especially leave late: many kids leave with their parents or groups around 6 PM, so I managed to try more games between 6 PM and 9 PM than between 10 AM and 6 PM! Access to stages where YouTubers, unknown to old Bob (but familiar to his kids!), appeared was more complicated primarily due to the distribution of goodies (not really practical; a Fnac stand representative even joked about giving out promotional tote bags…). The Mario Kart stand event seemed to be the most popular, apparently thanks to a YouTuber duo with a large teenage fanbase.

Throughout the day, various activities were offered, ranging from a climbing wall to a live session on Taiko no Tatsujin, and even fighting games in an octagon (probably to mimic MMA). There were also some efforts made with the decorations: special mention to Capcom for their setups around Onimusha and Resident Evil: Requiem. Capcom, along with Ubisoft and Bandai Namco, was one of the only significant third-party publishers that took the effort to set up a stand at PGW 2025. A bit disappointing. And what about the hardware manufacturers? Only Nintendo had a true stand, which was very lively, thanks to the Switch 2 updates. Microsoft attempted a hybrid console/PC stand around the Xbox brand and ROG XBOX ALLY X; the American company seems a bit lost in its projects at the moment, and this was reflected in their stand. For instance, Ninja Gaiden 4 was playable on both Xbox and PC to highlight the Xbox ecosystem, although it’s a rather mediocre game that isn’t a Microsoft exclusive. Go figure…

Sony’s notable absence was glaring! While there were PlayStation games, they were presented by third parties, like Ghost of Yôtei at Fnac’s stand. So, what about the games? It was announced that 200 titles were playable, but there were no exclusives among them. I played Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero, Donkey Kong Bananza, Mario Kart 9 (and got my butt kicked in the tournament qualifiers, just like in 2010, proving some things never change!), Resident Evil Requiem, and Metroid Prime 4 Beyond—games already announced and thoroughly covered by the press, either already available or with releases imminent. To be clear: I had fun, but didn’t discover anything new at the convention. At most, I was reassured by the technical possibilities of the Switch 2 with RE: Requiem and the viability of the joy-con mouse for an FPS.

I skipped Anno 117: Pax Romana, Onimusha, and Ghost of Yôtei to avoid spending my entire day in line, considering these games are also set for imminent release, with demos already available online. In the end, I spent almost more time at the arcade booths of the Art’cade¹⁷ association than on the new releases. Furthermore, I was quite surprised by the presence of this association as well as R3D2¹⁸, which promote the use of Recalbox—let’s be honest, this means using illegally acquired ROMs. I’m not one to be a hypocrite (if I know Recalbox, it’s because I use it), but such promotion at a professional convention surprised me. Anyway.

In the end, the Paris Games Week 2025’s proposal to broaden its scope worked for me. I enjoyed wandering through the cosplay village, checking out the retro stand from MO5.com, and seeing Marcus and Gia¹⁹ on site. However, the “geek market” in hall 2 interested me less and seemed somewhat off-topic, with hints of counterfeits and intellectual property violations similar to issues Raton-Laveur has pointed out about the Japan Expo²⁰ for years. Like with Recalbox, I’m surprised by the organizers’ laxity on this matter. But well, I suppose, as long as the exhibitor pays for their space…

In conclusion, despite some of the regrets expressed earlier, Paris Games Week 2025 was an enjoyable day for Bob and his little ones. I will likely return, hoping that the event expands and achieves its goals because, from a gaming perspective, I was left wanting more!

Bob Dupneu

The corridor between the two halls served as a haven of peace for tired legs and ears.

Bob’s PGW 2025 Video

Furthermore

If you have even a bit of interest in manga, you probably know about SPY x FAMILY, a series currently in vogue, especially in Japan. Since early October, Season 3 features a new opening by the group Spitz, which is very popular in the Land of the Rising Sun; the song is called “hi wo mamoru,” translated internationally as “Protect the Light.” Why is Bob talking to you about all this? Simply because a little Pac-Man game featuring the band members is being offered as part of the song’s promotion! It’s not the best Pac-Man I’ve played, but the song is nice, and there’s a global leaderboard on which I ranked 37th on my first try. Can you do better?

The song’s introduction page: https://spitz-web.com/hiwomamoru/

The game : https://play.umusic.com/spitz