CREATIVE INDUSTRIES: ACTION! CREATION!
- + 3,500local jobs
- + 330M€combined annual revenue in 2021
- 980digital creation studios and companies
The Montpellier metropolitan area is a stronghold for the creative and cultural industries (CCI). With a long history dating back to Ubisoft’s arrival in 1995, the local CCI ecosystem now spans every facet of the industry, from visual media (including video games, animation, VFX, audiovisual production, film, and immersive experiences) to sound and audio, not to mention internationally renowned and specialized schools.
This dynamic is not only the outcome of the talent found in the area's companies, but it is also the result of Montpellier Métropole's strategy to support the sector — particularly through the Creative and Cultural Industries Creation Support Fund — and to assist companies during their development.
This involvement has already proven its effectiveness, as demonstrated by the accelerated establishment of leading players from outside the area and the recognition of its ecosystem's excellence through the La Grande Fabrique de l’Image France 2030 (Great Image Factory France 2030) initiative and the winning project “Montpellier Creative Interconnections” presented by Montpellier Métropole in response to the Call for Expressions of Interest titled “Regional Hubs for Cultural and Creative Industries Promoting the Development of Local Ecosystems”
La Cité Créative, the neighborhood that inspires creativity
Established in 2019 in the heart of Montpellier, on the former site of the Infantry Training School (EAI), the Cité Créative is the first mixed-use neighborhood for young, active city dwellers, dedicated to the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI), with 40,000 m² designated for tertiary and commercial activities and 2,500 housing units.
INNOVATIVE AND CREATIVE PLAYERS
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For the past several years, Montpellier has been a hub for the creative and cultural industries. Following the arrival of Ubisoft in 1995, Plug In Digitalin 2017, the list has since grown to include France.TV studio and Illogic Studios (2018), Fortiche Prod (2020), Smart Tale Games, Sandfall Interactive and Supamonks(2021), the Virtuos group in 2022, and, more recently, the Scottish studio Build a Rocket Boy and visual effects studios The Yard and Mathematic (2023), to name just a few.
This ecosystem has been recognized on multiple occasions, notably at the Game Awards:
- Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive for Clair-Obscur - Expedition 33
- Blue Twelve Studios for its indie game
- Stray and Fortiche, with some of their teams based in Montpellier, produced and co-produced the series Arcane, winner of the award for Best Video Game Adaptation for “League of Legends.”
- In animation: Illogic Studios
==> The call for projects “La Grande Fabrique de l’Image” (The Great Image Factory) as part of the France 2030 plan honored the Montpellier metropolitan area with no fewer than eight projects among the 68 winners in France, including the film studios Pics Studio and France.TV Studio, animation studios Mathematic and The Yard, video game studio The Game Bakers, filmmaking training program Travelling, and digital training programs Audio Workshop (now run by Slope) and Artfx.
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Montpellier’s Creative and Cultural Industries (CCI) stakeholders are united by their shared interests within several professional and student associations that work daily to foster ecosystems, offer services and organize professional events, provide information, and promote awareness and exposure:
- Push Start, a regional cluster of independent video game studios
- Sud Piccel, a group of professionals in emerging recreational CCIs
- Tropisme (or Illusion & Macadam), a cooperative in the cultural and CCI sector that operates La Halle Tropisme, a space hosting around sixty companies from the sector
- APIFA, an association of independent producers
- Occitanie Films, a regional organization dedicated to promoting cinema and the audiovisual sector
These organizations play a particularly pivotal role in the area and are valuable partners supporting the development of the sector.
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Growth and dynamics in the ICC sector are fueled by a substantial pool of local talent. While skilled professionals may be in short supply globally, Montpellier has a major advantage: a network of schools in the area known internationally for the high quality of their programs.
This is the case with ArtFX and ESMA, ranked among the finest schools in the world, whose students consistently earn festival selections and awards for their final-year short films.
Other notable schools include Travelling, Acfa Multimédia / Studio M, specialized programs at Paul Valéry Montpellier University and University of Montpellier, Ionis e-artsup, Brassart, IAD-3D, Cinécréatis, Objectif 3D, along with IEFAR-Gam and IPESAA, among others.
ACTION PLAN AND FLAGSHIP EVENTS
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To support growth in the CCI sector, Montpellier Métropole is taking action by implementing a plan centered on four key areas:
- Structuring: sector observatory, funding for professional associations, and organizing key events (CCI Club, Push Start, APIFA…)
- Supporting: helping to meet the needs of businesses (ICC/Montpellier Game Lab incubator pilot with Montpellier BIC, Film Commission, ICC Creation Grant, etc.)
- Hosting: developing a comprehensive range of services to support the growth of local players and encourage the establishment of new players, through the Cité Créative and projects led by private players
- Promoting: organizing events (Animation Film Meetings, Cinemed Festival), export support, and international outreach
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Co-managed by Push Start and the Montpellier BIC, the Montpellier Game Lab incubator has been supporting the creation and development of video game studios since 2021.
Each cohort benefits from a program tailored to its specific needs, designed to accelerate its growth, strengthen its network, and ensure its long-term presence in the region.
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Launched in 2022 by Montpellier Métropole, the CCI Creative Support Fund, with an annual budget of over €700,000, fosters emerging talent and strengthens the visual media sector by helping establish a lasting presence for industry professionals in the metropolitan area by funding unique projects. Eligible works include short and feature-length films, TV and web audiovisual works, video works, video games, and immersive and interactive works.
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A vibrant hub of culture and creativity, the Montpellier metropolitan area offers a wide range of events and projects that showcase creative talent and training programs.
One of the most iconic events is “Cœur de Ville en Lumières” (Downtown in Lights), whose 10th edition was celebrated in 2025. Over three evenings, landmark sites in Montpellier’s historic downtown are illuminated with 22 unique scenographies, combining monumental light projections, interactive video games, light shows, and sound-and-light performances.
The event enlists more than 200 students from eight local creative schools, alongside renowned artists, for a program that reflects the rich diversity of local Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI).
Other events include the Cinemed Festival, whose next edition will be held in October 2026; the ZAT (Temporary Art Zone), which by definition is based in neighborhoods that resonate with their specific history and way of life; and the Tropisme Festival, to name just a few.
Images of the local CCI sector
Montpellier Game Lab 2025
