Careers at Gameloft
Mission
Operate the most complete distribution network in the video game industry
History
The mobile boom was in full swing at the end of the 1990s and Michel Guillemot was a young programmer in Paris, France. He could the see the trend towards mass adoption, making the mobile phone the principal digital consumption device of the future. He also saw the shift towards entertainment from the earlier utilitarian aspects of mobile device use.
Given his previous experience in the video game industry and his connections to Ubisoft, Guillemot jumped at the chance to take part in the mobile device revolution. Partnering with Josh Closson, a co-founder of Ubisoft, Guillemot launched his mobile video game development company in 1999.
Officially launched in 2000 with $7 million in venture capital financing, Gameloft struggled at first but reached profitability within three years. They stuck to their goal of creating video games which could be easily downloaded by consumers to their mobile devices. Popular titles such as Prince of Persia and Tom Clancey helped them to reach annual revenues of $11.2 million in 2003.
By this time, Gameloft’s titles were compatible with over 100 mobile devices. The following year, Gameloft expanded into 3D game titles and launched its Asphalt franchise. It revenue for 2004 was $25.4 million. In 2005, the company reach $51.4 million in revenue and started publishing real-time multiplayer games.
By 2006, Gameloft had the most expansive and diverse collection of game titles in the world. The following year, the company announced that its offerings were now compatible with over 400 mobile devices and had released 200 Java-based titles.
The Apple iPhone, launched in 2008, marked the start of the smartphone and touchscreen revolution. Gameloft had been monitoring this trend and was ready, becoming the first company to launch games on the iPhone. By 2008, Gameloft’s yearly sales had exceeded $110 million. The company continued innovating by developing games for touchscreen tablets in 2010. The following year, Gameloft had reached consolidated sales of over $180 million.
The biggest change in the company’s history occurred in the early part of 2016, when Vivendi decided to acquire it. At this time Gameloft was estimated to be valued at $765 million. In June 2016, Guillemot announced that he was resigning as CEO and selling his remaining stake in the company. The new CEO of Gameloft is Stéphane Roussel. The company’s headquarters and its 5000 employees are based in Paris, France.