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Cultural and Creative Industries

Montpellier at the peak, showcasing French creativity on the international stage

On December 11, Sandfall Interactive won nine awards at The Game Awards in Los Angeles, including Game of the Year for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Illogic Studios is also attracting international attention thanks to its animated film produced for the Mousquetaires group.

2025 ended on a high note for Montpellier's Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) ecosystem. On December 11, at the Game Awards in Los Angeles, local studio Sandfall Interactive triumphed with its game Clair obscur: Expedition 33,  winning nine awards, including the coveted Game of the Year award. To celebrate this achievement, the independent studio and its publisher  Kleper Interactive released a free update as a tribute to their community, thanking the millions of players who contributed to the game's success. 

“Since it was released in April, Expedition 33 has received glowing reviews from critics around the world. Ranked among the highest-rated video games of the year, it has sold over 5 million copies in both digital and physical formats, inspiring a whole new generation of artists, cosplayers, and fans with its stunning art direction, immersive universe, and exciting turn-based combat system," Sandfall Interactive and Kleper Interactive said in a statement.

In addition to Game of the Year, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won awards for Best Achievement, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Music, Best Performance by an Actor for Jennifer English (Maelle), Best Independent Game, Best RPG, and Best First Independent Game. The game received a total of 12 nominations!

©Sandfall Team

Already recognized regularly at the Game Awards, Montpellier's video game community is reaching new heights this year. While several local studios have already won awards – BlueTwelve Studio for Stray in 2022, then Ubisoft for Prince of Persia in 2024 – none had ever won this many awards before. The first time this has happened for a local studio. 

Montpellier, a hotspot for creative talent! 

Illogic Studios recently made a name for itself on the international stage with its commercial “Le Mal Aimé” (Unloved) for the Mousquetaires retail and supermarket group. Since its release on Monday, December 8, on social media, Le Mal Aimé, the Intermarché commercial for which it created the animation, has become a global phenomenon!

In less than three weeks, this Christmas film, created as a genuine fairy tale, racked up over a billion views. Four days after it was posted online, it had already been viewed more than 150 million times! “We decided that there would be no AI, that the creation would be French, and this film is the result.” This is a French victory and we are very happy,” said Thierry Cotillard, president of the Mousquetaires group (Intermarché), on Léa Salamé's evening news program on France 2. 

 

Creating films that depict worlds that are almost photographic in quality, populated by creatures brought to life by the unbridled imagination of its founders (Victor Caire, Théophile Dufresne, Gabriel Grapperon, and Lucas Navarro), Illogic Studios has already made a name for itself with two critically acclaimed short productions: Garden Party, nominated for an Oscar en 2018, followed by Maestro.

Founded in Montpellier, Illogic Studios produces films for brands such as Swarovski, Guerlain, and Oasis, while also pursuing its own projects. Among these is Scavengers, as well as a family-oriented animated feature film “designed with the same artistic direction as the Intermarché commercial, co-produced with Mandarin,” explains Théophile Dufresne, CEO of the studio. Highly involved in the local ecosystem, Dufresne also co-founded the professional association Montpellier Images Animées (together with five other studios), which focuses on structuring and energizing the local animation industry.

Le Mal Aimé (Unloved) is a new success for Illogic Studios. “It's rare for an advertising film to be shown so widely around the world,” says Théophile Dufresne. On LinkedIn, Yoan Fanise, CEO of DigixArt, shining star in the local ICC sector, adds: 

“It's a little crazy to think that two of the biggest creative successes of the year didn't come from Paris, London, or Los Angeles, but from Montpellier, a city that has quietly built a solid creative ecosystem around 3D, animation, visual effects, and games.” 

With these two international successes – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Le Mal Aimé (Unloved) – Montpellier confirms that French creativity is making its mark internationally and establishing itself as a key player in the Cultural and Creative Industries.