Lyon Game Dev
Lyon Game Dev is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) that runs monthly meetups, workshops, game jams, and the Scientific Game Jam festival for video game professionals, indie developers, students, and researchers in the Lyon metropolitan area.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersVilleurbanne / Lyon, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Lyon Game Dev does
Lyon Game Dev is a non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 2013 and formally registered in the Journal Officiel on January 26, 2019, operating as the primary professional community for video game creators in the Lyon metropolitan area of France. Its core function is convening: monthly meetups (first Thursday at 8pm) at rotating venues across Lyon and Villeurbanne, supplemented by workshops, masterclasses, game jams, the annual Scientific Game Jam and La Science Entre En Jeu festival, and a Diversity, Prevention, and Inclusion (DPI) committee. The association is governed by a volunteer board of 7 directors (2025-2026 term) — including practitioners from Ubisoft Ivory Tower, LUGLUDUM, and freelance creators — with no paid staff and 6 listed employees on the registered entity.
The association's product surface is community services rather than software. Core offerings include the monthly meetup program, a blog, a tiered membership program (€10/year), workshops/masterclasses, an "Open Pitch" presentation format, and the Scientific Game Jam in partnership with La Science Entre En Jeu. Digital infrastructure is intentionally low-cost and community-grade: a GitHub Pages-hosted website, Discord for day-to-day discussion, HelloAsso for membership and ticketing, YouTube and Twitch for live streaming and recorded content, and Gather Town/WorkAdventure for virtual events. The 2025-2026 launch of a paid Steam Release Coaching Week (€995 promotional, down from ~€1,990) is the most significant move into fee-for-service territory.
The business model is membership-funded community economics. Revenue streams comprise annual membership dues (€10/year per individual), event participation fees (e.g., €10 for the Scientific Game Jam with early-bird discounts), and ad hoc donations (e.g., €54.60 collected at a documentary screening). The association has no venture capital, no parent company, no equity, and no disclosed grants. Growth is driven by community word-of-mouth, school partnerships (Gamagora, Bellecour École, Ynov Campus, ICAN, Gaming Campus), venue partnerships, and event programming rather than commercial sales.
Lyon Game Dev firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lyon Game Dev
- Legal name
- Lyon Game Dev
- Website
- https://lyongamedev.pro
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Lyon Game Dev is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) that runs monthly meetups, workshops, game jams, and the Scientific Game Jam festival for video game professionals, indie developers, students, and researchers in the Lyon metropolitan area.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lyon Game Dev industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Community Association
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)
- akta.pro primary industry
- UGC Game Creation Platforms (Roblox-like, Fortnite Creative, Core) (MPAFAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Venue Sourcing & Site Coordination (HSACAAAD), Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management (THAHACAM)
Keywords
Where Lyon Game Dev is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Villeurbanne / Lyon
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Lyon Game Dev business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: Annual membership fees collected from association members. Originally set at 10€ per year for the 2018-2019 membership year. Membership provides access to the association's document database, forum, Discord, resources, general assemblies, member-only events, and partner discounts.
- Event Participation Fees: Some events such as the Scientific Game Jam charge a participation fee (originally 10€ with early-bird discounts). The 2026 Steam release coaching week was offered at a promotional price of 995€ (reduced from 1990€).
- Donations and Grants: The association receives donations (e.g., at the Game Spectrum documentary screening, 54.60€ was collected, with 50% donated back to the filmmaker). General assemblies and public events may include contributions for refreshments.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Annual membership for individuals supporting the association |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Scientific Game Jam participation fee |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Steam Release Coaching Week (La Science Entre En Jeu) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Lyon Game Dev product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lyon Game Dev is a non-profit association (loi 1901) that organizes monthly in-person meetups, workshops, masterclasses, and game jams for video game professionals in the Lyon metropolitan area of France. It provides a community platform (Discord, Twitch, YouTube) and runs an annual Scientific Game Jam together with the La Science Entre En Jeu festival pairing researchers with game developers.
Product overview
Lyon Game Dev is a non-profit association (association loi 1901) that serves as a community hub for video game professionals in the Lyon region. The core offering consists of monthly meetups held on the first Thursday of each month, which provide networking opportunities and project showcase platforms for developers, artists, designers, and other industry professionals. The association complements these in-person events with a blog for content distribution, a membership program for community access and partner benefits, and periodic workshops and masterclasses for professional development. The Scientific Game Jam initiative, conducted in partnership with La Science Entre En Jeu, represents a signature annual event combining education and game development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Monthly Meetups Free monthly networking events held on the first Thursday of each month at 8 PM at rotating venues across Lyon, bringing together video game professionals (developers, artists, designers, level designers, community managers) for informal exchanges, project presentations, playtesting, and community building. Attendance has ranged from 90 to 200+ participants per meetup.
- Annual Membership Program Annual membership subscription at 10 euros providing members with access to the association's document database, forum, Discord community, association resources, general assemblies, member-only events, and partner discounts (e.g., GameCamp Lille at 50% cluster rate).
- Scientific Game Jam Annual game jam pairing video game developers with young researchers and PhD students to create educational games based on scientific research topics. Participation fee of 10 euros with early-bird discount code EARLY30 (30% off). Each edition has produced 12-18 games and engaged 14-90+ researchers.
- La Science Entre En Jeu Festival Annual festival combining the Scientific Game Jam with a conference series on science and video games, co-organized with La Science Entre En Jeu. Festival draws 60-120+ attendees at conferences. Lyon Game Dev provides community infrastructure and co-organizes the game jam component.
- Steam Release Coaching Week One-week intensive coaching program on Steam game publishing offered at a promotional launch price of 995 euros (regular price approximately 1,990 euros), including Steam submission fees. Four slots reserved at 99 euros for games from the Scientific Game Jam.
- Workshops and Masterclasses Periodic educational events covering topics such as computer repair, game development practices, diversity in gaming, and professional skill development. Organized at partner venues and partner institutions across Lyon.
Quantifiable outcome
- Monthly meetup attendance has grown from ~90 in 2023 to 200 in April 2024, demonstrating sustained community growth
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Lyon Game Dev
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Lyon Game Dev technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Lyon Game Dev partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
18 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Abiding BridgeminorAbiding Bridge is an independent game publishing house that partnered with Lyon Game Dev to host a publishing experience-sharing event featuring Elizabeth Maler, focusing on the co-publishing case of Sclash. Lyon Game Dev provided the venue and community platform.
- La Science Entre En JeucoreLa Science Entre En Jeu is a festival co-organized with Lyon Game Dev that combines a Scientific Game Jam (pairing researchers with game developers) and a conference series on science and video games. Lyon Game Dev co-organizes the game jam and provides community infrastructure. The festival has run multiple editions (2021–2026+) with 12–18 games produced per edition and 60–120+ attendees at conferences.
- Apsoly (Association de PSychologues SOciaux LYonnaise)coreApsoly is an association of social psychologists in Lyon that co-organizes workshops and events with Lyon Game Dev on diversity, inclusion, gender equality, and workplace culture in the video game industry. Notable collaborations include workshops on gender stereotypes in game studios (February 2019) and a documentary screening-debate on masculinity in video games (February 2020).
- GameSpectrumminorGameSpectrum is an independent YouTube channel producing documentaries and podcasts about video games and their relationship to society. Lyon Game Dev co-hosted a screening-debate of the GameSpectrum documentary on working conditions in the video game industry (March 2019) and on masculinity in video games (February 2020).
- Indie Game Zone / Lyon Game Show (TGS Lyon Anime Game Show)minorLyon Game Dev partnered with the Indie Game Zone at the TGS Lyon Anime Game Show to help local indie studios obtain exhibition space at the convention. Lyon Game Dev acted as a local intermediary, facilitating logistics and providing support to indie developers.
- Patchwork CaféminorPatchwork Café is a coworking space and community venue near Garibaldi in Lyon that regularly hosts Lyon Game Dev meetups. It offers a comfortable, inclusive environment and has on several occasions privatized the space for Lyon Game Dev events.
- The People (Bar)minorThe People is a bar-restaurant on the slopes of Croix-Rousse in Lyon that hosts Lyon Game Dev monthly meetups. The venue provides a spacious, welcoming environment suitable for large community events.
- La Fabuleuse CantineminorLa Fabuleuse Cantine is a café and festive bar near Jean Macé in Lyon that hosts Lyon Game Dev meetups. It focuses on local, seasonal, and bio produce sourced within 80km.
- Le Pilo (Café-Hôtel)minorLe Pilo is a hybrid hotel/hostel and bar-restaurant in Croix-Rousse that has hosted Lyon Game Dev meetups. It is known for its spacious layout suitable for large events.
- Faitout (Tiers-Lieu)minorFaitout is a third-place (tiers-lieu) dedicated to hospitality and food transition in La Mulatière, run by SINGA Lyon and BelleBouffe associations. It has hosted Lyon Game Dev meetups, offering a community-oriented space with food and drinks.
- Superdemain / Fréquence-ÉcolesminorLyon Game Dev coordinated the video game space at the Superdemain festival organized by Fréquence-Écoles in November 2019. Lyon Game Dev organized 3 themed playrooms, curated game selections, hosted panel discussions on esports careers and game design, and facilitated participation of local studios.
- GamagoraminorGamagora is a game development school in Lyon whose students regularly present their final-year projects at Lyon Game Dev meetups. Lyon Game Dev also conducted an intervention at Gamagora in April 2024.
- Bellecour ÉcoleminorBellecour École is a game art and design school in Lyon whose students present projects at Lyon Game Dev meetups and participate in Global Game Jam activities organized at campus Ionis.
- Ynov Campus Lyon / Campus IonisminorYnov Campus Lyon (formerly Campus Ionis) hosts the Global Game Jam site in Lyon where Lyon Game Dev members participate as mentors and jammers. Students from Ynov also present projects at Lyon Game Dev meetups.
- Jérémie CieslakminorJérémie Cieslak has conducted identification work on video game industry actors in Lyon on behalf of Lyon Game Dev, maintaining the association's professional directory.
- Press Start (BPI)minorPress Start (BPI) provided vintage gaming consoles for the historical gaming playroom at Superdemain 2019, curated by Lyon Game Dev.
- Game ImpactminorGame Impact is a video game impact association that co-organized events with Lyon Game Dev, including a documentary screening on working conditions in the video game industry.
- Puzzle InnminorPuzzle Inn is a bar near Saxe-Gambetta in Lyon that has regularly hosted Lyon Game Dev events including meetups, documentary screenings, and conferences. It offers a 1€ discount per drink for members.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Lyon Game Dev competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Global Game Jam: International organization that runs the world's largest game jam events, which Lyon Game Dev actively participates in as a host site at Ynov Campus Lyon/Campus Ionis. Directly comparable through the shared game jam format and community-organization operating model.
- Capital Games: Paris-based association supporting the French video game industry through meetups, networking events, and educational programming. Closest direct peer: similar volunteer-driven community model serving game developers and studios, but operating in the Île-de-France region rather than Lyon.
Regional players
- IndieDevDay: Annual indie game conference and exhibition held in Barcelona, Spain. Comparable through its focus on indie developer visibility and community building, but operates at a larger event scale in a different European market.
- A MAZE. / A MAZE. Berlin: Berlin-based international festival and label celebrating independent and arthouse video games. Shares the indie-focused, community-driven ethos of Lyon Game Dev and hosts comparable showcases and networking events for indie developers in a different European city.
Broad incumbents
- IGDA (International Game Developers Association): The world's largest global membership organization for game developers, with a mission closely aligned to Lyon Game Dev's networking and professional development goals. Much larger and broader in scope, serving as the international model for what regional associations like LGD aspire to replicate.
- Game Connection: International B2B event organizer for the video game industry, facilitating connections between developers, publishers, and service providers. Comparable through event-driven community building for game professionals, though operating at a commercial scale well beyond LGD's volunteer capacity.
- AFJV (Association Française du Jeu Vidéo): Established French national trade association for the video game industry, representing publishers, studios, and schools at the institutional level. Broader incumbent with overlapping community-building goals but operating nationally rather than regionally.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Lyon Game Dev social profiles
Digital presenceLyon Game Dev compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Lyon Game Dev financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lyon Game Dev leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Lyon Game Dev funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lyon Game Dev M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Lyon Game Dev
What does Lyon Game Dev do?
Lyon Game Dev is a non-profit association (loi 1901) that organizes monthly in-person meetups, workshops, masterclasses, and game jams for video game professionals in the Lyon metropolitan area of France. It provides a community platform (Discord, Twitch, YouTube) and runs an annual Scientific Game Jam together with the La Science Entre En Jeu festival pairing researchers with game developers.
Is Lyon Game Dev a public or private company?
Lyon Game Dev is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Lyon Game Dev founded?
Lyon Game Dev was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Lyon Game Dev based?
Lyon Game Dev is headquartered in Villeurbanne / Lyon, France, in the Europe region.
How does Lyon Game Dev make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are event Participation Fees and donations and Grants.
Who are Lyon Game Dev's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Global Game Jam and Capital Games. Regional players are IndieDevDay and A MAZE. / A MAZE. Berlin. Broad incumbents are IGDA (International Game Developers Association), Game Connection and AFJV (Association Française du Jeu Vidéo).
Does Lyon Game Dev have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lyon Game Dev.
What industry is Lyon Game Dev in?
Lyon Game Dev's product category is Professional Community Association. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAIAA, UGC Game Creation Platforms (Roblox-like, Fortnite Creative, Core), with a secondary code of HSACAAAD, Venue Sourcing & Site Coordination. Its NAICS code is 561920 and its SIC code is 7997.