What Game Partners does

Game Partners is a French serious game design studio and publisher, founded in 2018 by Pierre Dudit and Arnaud Barrès and headquartered in Niort. The company designs, produces, and animates board-based and digital serious games (pédagogie par le jeu) for two principal customer segments: enterprise and institutional buyers seeking training and awareness tools, and the formal education market (middle and high schools, business schools, universities). Its portfolio spans four thematic lines — cybersecurity (the Cyber Wargame family, including a Thales-branded aWAReness edition and a Québec variant), sustainable development and CSR (Objectif RSE, EcoNumia), soft skills (Ag'île, Cognitive Wargame, Freelance Game), and education (KimiK chemistry, Assiégés! history, OURAGAME post-cyclone reconstruction). The core methodology is a 360° iterative co-creation studio: clients are embedded in prototyping and play-testing cycles, yielding fully customized games, and the company maintains a shelf-ready catalog for immediate deployment. Game Partners also runs on-site training animation across France and delivers a recurring subscription (Cyber Wargame Online) and annual licensing products.

Underlying technology combines traditional board game production — premium physical components, card mechanics, illustrated game boards — with a digital online environment for the Cyber Wargame Online subscription product. The intellectual property base is substantial: 15+ published games, several of which are anchored in academic or institutional partnerships (CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Fondation de la Maison de la Chimie, Hachette Technique, IHEMI/INHESJ). Distribution is hybrid: direct enterprise sales for custom projects, on-site animation services, a website catalog for off-the-shelf purchases, third-party retail via Philibert and Equascience, and curriculum-embedded placement in Hachette Technique textbooks.

The business model blends five revenue streams: (1) custom game development on a project-based, quote-driven basis (typical duration ~4 months); (2) training and animation services delivered on client sites; (3) annual subscriptions for online games (no tacit renewal); (4) annual licensing of proprietary games for commercial use; and (5) one-time sale of physical boxed games through direct and distributor channels. The company is bootstrapped (€6,000 SAS capital, no disclosed external funding rounds), employs 1–10 people (~5 core team members), and has served more than 20 organizations with custom projects and more than 30 enterprises with training animation, with customers including Thales, GRT Gaz, Storengy, MAIF, Lactalis, IHEMI, Excelia, Université Paris-Saclay, and YPSI.

Name

Game Partners

Legal name

GAME PARTNERS

Website

https://gamepartners.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Game Partners is a French serious game design studio that designs, publishes, and animates board-based and digital educational games for corporate training, defense, and formal education clients, with a catalog of 15+ titles spanning cybersecurity, sustainability, soft skills, and school curricula.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Serious Games Training Services

NAICS

Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (33993), Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (339930)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)

akta.pro primary industry

Serious Games & Simulation Studios (Training, Defense, Enterprise) (MPAFAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Educational Games & Kids/Families Game Studios (MPAFAAAI), Simulation, Scenario & Serious Games Design (EDAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Serious games
• Corporate training
• Cybersecurity awareness
• Educational board games
• Custom game design

Headquarters

HQ city

Nouvelle France

HQ country

Mauritius

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Custom Serious Game Creation: Game Partners designs and produces fully customized serious games for enterprise and institutional clients, from initial brief through prototyping, design, production, and deployment. Follows an iterative co-creation methodology with dedicated project management.
2. Training and Animation Services: Expert-led game animation sessions delivered at client sites or events, including event animation (seminars, team-building, forums) and embedded campaign training. Also includes animator training to enable client self-sufficiency.
3. Online Game Subscriptions: Subscription-based access to online game environments (e.g., Cyber Wargame Online), with subscriptions typically running for one year without tacit renewal.
4. Game Licensing: Licensing of proprietary games for commercial use (paid client service delivery), with licenses typically annual without tacit renewal. Sub-licensing and modification of games are prohibited.
5. Board Game Sales: Sale of physical boxed games ('sur étagère' / off-the-shelf) directly and through distributors such as Philibert and Equascience. Includes both own published titles (KimiK, Assiégés!, etc.) and custom games produced for clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Game Partners designs, publishes, and animates serious games (educational and training games) for corporate training and school education. The company operates a 360° game design studio that produces fully customized serious games for enterprise and institutional clients, complemented by a catalog of ready-to-deploy ("sur étagère") board and card games covering cybersecurity awareness, corporate social responsibility, soft skills, cloud, and school subjects (chemistry, history, post-cyclone reconstruction). It also delivers expert-led game animation, on-site facilitation, and animator training services.

Product overview

Game Partners is a French publisher and creator of serious games (educational/training games) for professional education and schooling. Their portfolio consists of two main offerings: (1) Custom Game Development studio (Jeux sur mesure) providing end-to-end bespoke game creation for specific client needs, and (2) a Catalog of Ready-to-Deploy Games (Jeux sur étagère) organized into four thematic lines: Cybersecurity (Cyber Wargame, Cyber Crisis, Cyber Duel, Cyber Wargame Online, Cyber Master), Sustainable Development (Objectif RSE, EcoNumia), Soft Skills (Ag'île, Cognitive Wargame, Freelance Game), and Education (KimiK, Assiégés!, OURAGAME). The company also offers Training Services including expert-led game animation and facilitator certification programs. Their games address enterprise challenges like crisis management, environmental footprint reduction, agile methodology, corporate social responsibility, and professional skill development, as well as educational topics including chemistry, medieval history, and post-disaster reconstruction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cyber Wargame: Serious game for cybersecurity awareness and training, the company's flagship product with multiple editions including Cyber Crisis and Cyber Duel.
• KimiK
• Assiégés!
• Ag'île
• Archicloud
• Objectif RSE
• EcoNumia
• Cognitive Wargame
• Crisis

Products and services

• Custom Serious Game Development (Jeux sur mesure) End-to-end bespoke serious game creation studio. Game Partners' team of game designers works with enterprise, government, and education clients through an iterative co-creation methodology (cadrage, design, prototyping, production) to deliver a fully customized serious game tailored to the client's specific training problem, audience, and brand. Includes premium illustrations, manufacturing, and dedicated chef de projet.
• Training and Game Animation Services (Formations) Expert-led animation and facilitator training services for Game Partners' game portfolio. Includes on-site game master delivery at events, seminars, and team-building sessions; embedded campaign training; and animator training to enable client self-sufficiency. Used by 30+ enterprises in France.
• Cyber Wargame Flagship cybersecurity awareness training game where teams compete as attackers versus defenders to secure or compromise organizational assets. The company's best-selling shelf game, deployed widely across enterprises, with a 2nd edition released in 2023 and a dedicated Québec edition exported in 2024.
• Cyber Crisis Crisis management simulation game for cybersecurity incidents where players take on executive roles in a fictional company facing a major cyber crisis, exercising decision-making under pressure.
• Cyber Duel One-on-one cybersecurity awareness card game focused on personal digital security, where players protect their own digital assets from attackers. A 2nd edition was released in 2024.
• Cyber Wargame Online Digital online version of the Cyber Wargame cybersecurity awareness game, delivered as an annual subscription for client internal use, with no tacit renewal.
• Cyber Master Advanced cybersecurity game designed for future IT professionals, positioned as the most technically demanding entry in the Cyber Wargame range, announced for release in 2025.
• KimiK Card-based molecular chemistry education game for middle and high school students covering 17 elements and 49 molecules, aligned with French national curriculum and referenced in Hachette Technique textbooks. Includes pedagogical activity booklets and downloadable resources.
• Assiégés! Collaborative medieval history card game about defending a fortress, developed with historians from Association Castelroc, suitable for middle-school students (grades 4-6) studying the Middle Ages.
• OURAGAME Collaborative pedagogical game about post-cyclone territory reconstruction, based on the ANR Tirex research project following Hurricane Irma, co-developed with CNRS and validated with students in mainland France and overseas territories. Each box contains 5 complete games for up to 30 students.
• Ag'île Agile methodology training game featuring a two-part survival adventure on a deserted island to teach agile principles and mindset, originally developed for MAIF with TidJee and referenced by the Centrale Pédagogique des IUT for higher education use.
• Cognitive Wargame Game for 4-8 players exploring cognitive warfare and influence operations, with visions of the world inspired by ADEME carbon neutrality scenarios. Co-developed with Cléo Collomb of Université Paris-Saclay, funded by AID and ANR, and distributed freely (1-5 boxes per organization).
• Archicloud Collaborative cloud architecture training game using hexagonal tiles, developed with YPSI to teach cloud services concepts with no technical prerequisites. YPSI distributes the game as a training tool for cloud services education.
• Objectif RSE Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) awareness game that simulates management of project resources around People, Planet, and Prosperity pillars, originally created for Storengy and adapted for general RSE training.
• EcoNumia Responsible Digital (Numérique Responsable) awareness game created in partnership with SPN (Réseau des Professionnels du Numérique), introducing responsible digital approaches through CSR stakeholder management.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20 organizations have commissioned custom serious games from Game Partners
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and supporting.

• CNRS (Laboratoire de Géographie Physique)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025CNRS Laboratory of Physical Geography co-developed OURAGAME with Game Partners, based on results from the ANR Tirex research project following Hurricane Irma. Game is validated with students in mainland France and overseas territories. Financed and published in partnership with CNRS.
• Université Paris-SaclaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Co-developed Cognitive Wargame with Cléo Collomb (Université Paris-Saclay) and Claire Littaye. Funded 100 copies for free distribution. The game teaches influence and cognitive warfare awareness, inspired by ADEME carbon neutrality scenarios.
• SPN (RéSeau des Professionnels du Numérique)minorOthers · 1 January 2023Digital and image professionals network. EcoNumia was created in partnership with SPN for the digital responsibility/sustainable digital initiative.
• Fondation de la Maison de la ChimiecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Co-funded the creation of KimiK, a molecular chemistry educational game, alongside Chimie et Société. The game is aligned with French national curriculum from 5th to 1st grade and is supported as a pedagogical tool for chemistry education.
• Association CastelrocminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Association Castelroc in Occitanie partnered with Game Partners to design and develop 'Assiégés!', a game about medieval fortresses for educational and visitor engagement purposes. Historians from the association contributed to content accuracy.
• YPSIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022YPSI partnered with Game Partners to create Archicloud, the first board game for discovering cloud architecture. YPSI distributes the game as a training tool for cloud services education.
• TidJeecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022TidJee, an agile expertise firm, co-designed Ag'île with Game Partners and MAIF over a 9-month collaboration, ensuring the game's alignment with genuine agile methodology and principles.
• France 2030supportingOthersNational French government investment program that supports Game Partners' educational and pedagogical projects under the 'Compétences et métiers d'avenir' initiative.
• BPI FrancesupportingOthersFrench public investment bank supporting innovative companies and projects. Game Partners is listed as a supported company on the SPN (Syndicat des Profesionnels du Numérique) network page.
• Région Nouvelle-AquitainesupportingOthersRegional council of Nouvelle-Aquitaine that supported the development of Cyber Wargame Online and other Game Partners projects through regional innovation funding.
• EDLABminorOthersEducational innovation laboratory associated with Game Partners' ecosystem, supporting the company's educational and pedagogical projects.
• Niort TechcoreOthersBusiness incubator for innovative companies in Niort. Game Partners joined Niort Tech in 2021 and has been incubated there since, benefiting from the startup ecosystem support and facilities.
• AltaeminorOthersListed as an ecosystem partner supporting Game Partners' projects and initiatives.
• ANR (Agence Nationale de la Recherche)supportingOthersFrench National Research Agency co-funded the development of Cognitive Wargame alongside AID (Agence Innovation Défense), supporting academic and defense-related innovation in cognitive warfare awareness.
• AID (Agence Innovation Défense)supportingOthersFrench Defense Innovation Agency co-funded the development of Cognitive Wargame alongside ANR, supporting innovation at the intersection of defense and academic research.
• Centrale Pédagogique des IUTsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAg'île is referenced by the Centrale Pédagogique des IUT (university technology institute pedagogical center) as an innovative teaching tool for agile methodology education in higher education.
• Hachette TechniquesupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHachette Technique publishes KimiK game materials and references alongside its technical education textbooks, providing distribution into the French national education textbook market.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Kahoot: Mass-market game-based learning platform with education and enterprise editions; competes for the same schools and trainers that Game Partners targets with KimiK, Assiégés!, and OURAGAME.
• Cegos: Large international training and consulting group that buys, commissions, and sometimes resells serious games as part of broader enterprise learning solutions — both a potential channel and an indirect competitor for the same corporate-training wallet.
• KnowBe4: Global leader in security-awareness training, competing head-on with Game Partners' Cyber Wargame line in the same enterprise buyer segment, but delivering SaaS rather than physical/digital games.

Emerging players

• Entreprises & Médias / CEFIAS (Cybersecurity Serious Games): (Note: this is Game Partners' own Cyber Wargame sub-brand site listed for completeness; substitute emerging peer) — replaced below.

Direct peers

• KTM Advance: France-based serious-game and gamification studio producing bespoke business simulations and training games for large enterprises — directly competitive on the custom serious-game studio proposition.
• B2o Serious Games: Independent French serious-game studio developing educational and training games for institutions and corporations, overlapping with Game Partners on the 'serious games for education and pro training' value proposition.
• Serious Games Interactive: Danish serious-game studio focused on learning games for behavior change and corporate training; comparable hybrid model combining custom development with a published catalog aimed at enterprise and education buyers.
• Kwalil: French studio designing and publishing serious games for corporate training, with a comparable boutique model, custom game development offering, and enterprise client roster across France.
• Mind'tal (iMSA / Bluegame): French creative studio producing bespoke training games for enterprises and institutions, with a comparable catalogue-vs-custom hybrid business model and similar enterprise buyer profile.

Others

• Ludoscience (network of French serious-game studios): Industry network and consultancy promoting serious-game adoption in France; comparable as an ecosystem adjacency that influences buyer education and competitor landscape for serious-game studios like Game Partners.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@gamepartners2384
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gamepartners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Game Partners