Over the past decade, Focus Entertainment has quietly become one of Europe’s most successful AA publishers by occupying a space many larger companies increasingly struggle to navigate. Positioned between indie development and blockbuster AAA production, the company has built its identity around distinctive mid-to-high-budget games, long-term developer relationships, and franchises that balance creative identity with commercial sustainability.

Titles like A Plague Tale, SnowRunner, and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II have helped establish Focus as a publisher capable of delivering large-scale experiences without fully embracing the escalating costs and risks associated with modern AAA development.

In this interview, Focus Entertainment's Deputy Chief Officer, Vincent Chataignier, discusses how Focus evolved from a French physical distributor into a globally integrated publishing company, why the studio remains heavily focused on the AA market, and how the company evaluates originality, production scope, and long-term franchise potential in an increasingly hit-driven industry.

Focus Entertainment has evolved significantly since its founding in 1996, transitioning from a distributor to one of Europe's leading publishers. Can you walk us through the key strategic pivots and business decisions that shaped this evolution?

Vincent Chataignier, Deputy Manager: From distributing physical products in France to becoming a global publisher, Focus has come a long way. This shift really began with the rise of digital platforms. We quickly realized that traditional distribution structures were not a sustainable model for the company. Our games are too “niche,” our trade marketing budgets are too small compared to those of well-established publishers and franchises, and our games are hard to find in stores. To gain visibility, Focus embraced digitalization early on, particularly through Steam, where our first games were listed as far back as 2003.

This success also comes down to a series of strong decisions on what we choose to publish, the partners we work with, how we structure our deals, and the quality of our relationships across the ecosystem (distributors, licensors, first parties), as well as our ability to operate on a truly global scale.

We also strive to maintain the right balance for our players between content, originality, production value, playtime, and pricing. Competition is fierce, to say the least, so we need to stay pragmatic and respectful toward the people who trust us to deliver a great entertainment experience. I believe it is this subtle blend of originality, quality, curiosity, and respect for audiences that has enabled Focus to establish itself on the global stage of the video game industry. And, to that point, the quality of the teams is absolutely central.

The AA publishing space sits in a unique position between indie and AAA, with smaller budgets than blockbusters but higher production values than most indies. What's Focus Entertainment's business philosophy around the AA market?

Vincent Chataignier: Our organization allows us to take a 360° view of the titles we evaluate: gameplay mechanics, originality of the concept, market positioning, performance prospects - we select projects we truly believe in and where our added value as a publisher can support the game’s ambitions.

Focus’s proven expertise across all publishing functions, supported by our in-house capabilities, allows us to make well-informed decisions. And thanks to that expertise, we’re still fortunate today to be able to choose the projects we truly want to work on, with partners who are the right fit for us.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II became a breakout success. From a publishing perspective, what were the key factors, whether it be marketing strategy, development partnership management, platform strategy, live service planning, etc., that contributed to this success?

Vincent Chataignier: For Space Marine 2, I believe we launched with the right strategy at the right time. With Saber and Games Workshop, we made the right decisions to deliver the Space Marine 2 experience, with the level of content that both the franchise and its fans deserve.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has sold more than 8 million units, and thanks to our partnerships with PlayStation and Xbox, we recently announced a total of 12 million players. At the end of the day, quality is at the heart of success; you can’t fool players. A good game knows how to make itself known.

Focus has built a reputation for backing creative-driven projects from studios like Asobo Studio, Saber Interactive, and Spiders. How do you balance creative vision with commercial viability when evaluating projects?

Vincent Chataignier: The creative vision will always belong to the studio. When we sign a title, it’s because we’ve been moved by an original proposition. Of course, it’s essential that the ambition remains realistic and that the budget aligns with its promise. But with 30 years of experience, we have a strong framework to support our assumptions.

Many of our team members are first and foremost passionate gamers. This allows us, when evaluating a title, to quickly identify the competition, its performance, and most importantly, what makes the game we are considering stand out within its segment. We have also developed a number of internal tools to measure ROI. However, I would say that most of the time our decisions are “data-aware” and not necessarily “data-driven.”

Managing developer relationships is critical for publishers. How does Focus Entertainment structure its partnerships with external studios? What does your ideal development agreement look like?

Vincent Chataignier: The publisher–developer relationship needs to be built on a shared commitment to work together, with each side recognizing the other’s contribution and expertise in turning a project into a strong game that resonates with players and fulfills its ambitions.

Something that sets Focus apart as a publisher is our flexibility. While we prioritize partnerships that allow for a long-term shared journey, we remain open to all opportunities. A title that aligns perfectly with our DNA and where we can bring real added value in the market will always be considered seriously and with respect.

The games market has become increasingly hit-driven and competitive. What's Focus's approach to portfolio management and risk mitigation?

Vincent Chataignier: The amount of high-quality games released each year continues to grow - but players’ time is not infinitely expandable! Meaning that quality and originality alone, unfortunately, are not always enough to turn a title into a hit. That’s where the full range of publishing services comes into play, helping a game stand out from the crowd and gain visibility.

When a franchise is already established, in addition to key factors such as originality, the development team, costs, timing, and more, we have a much clearer understanding of its audience and therefore its potential, which can make investment decisions easier.

At its current size, Focus can manage around fifteen projects at different stages of development, so they do not require the same teams or level of resources simultaneously. It’s also important to remember that Focus delivers experiences that go beyond a game’s release. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, SnowRunner, Insurgency: Sandstorm, and others benefit from significant live support. This must also be considered when assessing the availability of our resources.

Production oversight is crucial for publishers. What does Focus's production support model look like, and how involved are you in milestone reviews or creative direction?

Vincent Chataignier: Production follow-up is a key factor in a game’s quality as it ensures alignment between the original vision and the final experience players will have in their hands, so it is very important for us to be actively involved in this process. Projects in development, even at a very early stage, are monitored by dedicated internal teams.

Our role is to support development teams and ensure the games we publish have every chance to perform in line with our expectations. Working hand in hand with the studio, we can propose solutions and ideas, validate or challenge assumptions, and, of course, help structure the milestones leading up to a game’s release—and often well beyond. We provide a broad range of services, from game design and QA to user research and in-depth market analysis.

The market landscape has shifted dramatically as Game Pass and other subscription services take hold, live service expectations rise, and player spending habits change. How has Focus Entertainment adapted its business model and publishing strategy to these changes?

Vincent Chataignier: We believe players should be able to enjoy their favorite games on the platform of their choice. Focus publishes games for PC and consoles, and makes them available across the market’s main channels. Of course, subscription-based systems often involve business models that differ from more traditional ones.

If we want to last, it’s essential to stay aware of how the gaming landscape is evolving, and we will always keep an open mind and stay ready to explore new opportunities. But we’re also not losing sight of our clear direction: making strong, original games that resonate with players. The recurring revenue potential of effective live operations is appealing, but meaningful live ops can only be built on solid foundations: an outstanding game.

Marketing and community building have become increasingly sophisticated and expensive. How does Focus approach go-to-market strategy for its titles?

Vincent Chataignier: These are precisely the kinds of questions that speak to the expertise and added value of a publisher like Focus for the studios we work with. We have internalized nearly all publishing services. From a budget standpoint, what we invest to support a game’s marketing is usually expressed as a percentage of the revenue we forecast over its first 12 months of life.

Every project is different, so marketing strategies are always tailored to each game. There’s no real fixed formula when it comes to allocating marketing budgets. That said, it’s clear that over the past few years, influence and community development have taken on a much more important role.

At the same time, we still dedicate significant parts of our budgets to more traditional channels. Advertising for instance, that is also handled in-house at Focus, which is still fairly rare for a publisher of our size.

Defining the right go-to-market strategy, allocating budget across the right channels, identifying our target players, knowing how to speak to them, that’s what our marketing teams at Focus do best.

Finally, looking at the rest of 2026 and beyond, what does success look like for Focus Entertainment as a business? And given the industry's recent challenges with layoffs, studio closures, and market consolidation, how is Focus positioning itself to thrive in what many see as a maturing and more challenging market?

Vincent Chataignier: Focus now has a particularly strong and diverse portfolio, with many titles currently in development. Some have already been announced, such as Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 and Road Kings, while others will be revealed soon. This momentum is driven both by our long-standing partnerships and by projects developed within our internal studios, such as Deck13 and Carpool Studio, whose creations we publish. This dual approach is gradually increasing the share of proprietary IPs within our portfolio and firmly positioning us among fully integrated video game groups.

At the same time, we continue to actively support our existing catalog through a structured live operations strategy, extending the lifespan of our games and strengthening community engagement. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is now well into its Year 2 Edition, while SnowRunner is entering its fifth year of live support and has recently passed the 20 million player milestone. These examples truly reflect our commitment to supporting our games over the long term, enriching the player experience, and never abandoning the communities that trust us.

Overall, I believe it’s this combination that gives Focus a unique position in the industry: a pipeline of new, original and distinctive experiences driven by both external and internal collaborations, alongside a dynamic and ongoing management of our active catalog.

Of course, our sector is currently undergoing a profound and sometimes very painful transformation that is challenging many companies and professionals, to whom I want to express my support. It is important however to remember that our industry has never brought together so many players, nor offered so many ways to play, access content, and sustain experiences over time.

In this environment, our ability to adapt, make the right publishing decisions, develop and leverage our own IPs, and support our games well beyond their launch remains a key factor for success.

Vincent Chataignier, Deputy Chief Officer at Focus Entertainment