Gameloft facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Gameloft SE

Current logo used since 2010
Type	Subsidiary
Traded as	Euronext Paris: GLFT
Industry	Video games
Founded	14 December 1999; 25 years ago (1999-12-14)
Founder	Michel Guillemot
Headquarters	Paris , France
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Stéphane Roussel (chairman, CEO) Alexandre de Rochefort (CFO)
Number of employees	3,400 (2024)
Parent	Vivendi (2016–present)

Gameloft SE is a French company that makes video games. It is based in Paris, France. Michel Guillemot, who also helped start Ubisoft, founded Gameloft in December 1999.

Gameloft creates games for many devices. These include mobile devices like phones and tablets, video game consoles, and PCs. The company has 18 game development studios around the world. In 2016, a big media company called Vivendi bought Gameloft.

History of Gameloft

How Gameloft Started

Michel Guillemot started Gameloft on December 14, 1999. He was one of five brothers who founded the famous game company Ubisoft.

By 2009, Gameloft had sold over 200 million copies of its games. They also had 2 million daily downloads from the App Store for iOS devices. At one point, Gameloft noticed that their games made much more money on Apple's iOS devices than on Android phones. This was partly because the Google Play store was not as good at encouraging people to buy games. Because of this, Gameloft decided to focus less on Android games for a while.

Gameloft's games have sometimes been compared to other popular games. Michel Guillemot, the CEO, once said that game ideas often build on a few main themes. He believed there was only about one truly new idea each year in the game industry. Some people defended Gameloft, saying their games were usually very well made.

By 2014, Gameloft decided to focus more on making high-quality games. They wanted to create fewer games but make sure each one was excellent.

Becoming Part of Vivendi

In October 2015, a large French media company called Vivendi started buying shares in Gameloft. They quickly bought more and more shares. By February 2016, Vivendi owned 30% of Gameloft. They then made an offer to buy even more shares, which is called a hostile takeover when the company being bought doesn't want it.

Gameloft's leaders told their shareholders not to sell their shares to Vivendi. They wanted to stop the takeover. However, by May 2016, Vivendi had convinced most shareholders to sell.

The takeover was completed on June 1, 2016. Vivendi then owned 56% of Gameloft, giving them control. Gameloft employees received a letter welcoming them to the Vivendi family.

Many people thought Vivendi's goal was also to buy Ubisoft, the other game company founded by the Guillemot brothers. Michel Guillemot decided to leave Gameloft. He joined his brother Yves at Ubisoft to help prevent Vivendi from taking over that company too.

On June 8, the Guillemot brothers sadly announced they were selling their remaining shares in Gameloft to Vivendi. This gave Vivendi even more control. After Michel Guillemot left on June 29, Vivendi put new people in charge of Gameloft. Stéphane Roussel became the new chairman and CEO.

New Focus on PC and Console Games

On September 6, 2022, Gameloft launched an early version of a new game called Disney Dreamlight Valley. This game was for PC and consoles, not just mobile phones. This was a big change for Gameloft. They wanted to make more games for computers and consoles.

Disney Dreamlight Valley was very successful. Gameloft's income grew a lot in the months after its release. Because of this success, Gameloft announced they would keep focusing on PC and console games. Mobile game development became a secondary priority.

Gameloft's Offices and Studios

Gameloft's main office is in Paris, France. The company has 17 game development studios located all over the world.

Gameloft Studios Around the World

Gameloft has opened and sometimes closed studios in different cities. For example, a studio in New Orleans opened in 2011. It took advantage of tax breaks from the government to create new jobs.

However, Gameloft has also closed some studios. In January 2013, their India studio in Hyderabad closed suddenly. This left 250 people without jobs. Between 2015 and 2016, several other studios closed, including those in Tokyo, New York City, Seattle, Auckland, and Valencia. The company said these closures were part of a plan to reduce costs.

In 2022, Gameloft opened a new studio near its main office in Paris. This studio focuses on making games for PC and consoles. More recently, in 2024, Gameloft reduced jobs at its Lviv office in Ukraine and its Toronto office. The Cluj office in Romania also closed in July 2024.

Here is a list of some of Gameloft's studios:

Gameloft Games

Gameloft has made many popular games over the years. They are known for creating games for mobile phones, but they are now making more games for consoles and PCs too.

See also

In Spanish: Gameloft para niños