Video games in the cinema
3 questions for Kino Games
Building on his experience in the creative industries with his company Spielfabrique, Thierry Baujard launched the Kino Games pilot project two years ago. With the support of Creative Europe, Kino Games aims to bring cinemas to life by offering shared experiences designed for both gamers and film lovers. The project is currently seeking new cinema partners.
How has your business developed?
Based on our expertise in video games, we offer cinemas the implementation of recurring activities aimed at diversifying their audiences and enriching the viewing experience.
Kino Games brings together a film festival and six European cinemas (including two Europa Cinemas members: Quai 10 in Charleroi and Votiv Kino in Vienna). Developed in Germany and coordinated by Futura Cinéma in France, it was presented at the 2024 edition of the Europa Cinemas Conference in Vilnius.
In addition to our initial partners, in 2026 we aim to reach around ten independent cinemas across Europe, beyond the interest already expressed by several cinema chains with a more commercial approach. There is a community of values with independent cinemas.
What are you offering cinemas?
We have put together a very diverse catalogue for which we have secured licensing agreements by working with the publishers. These games – around forty in total, mainly high-quality European indie titles that are not always well known to the general public – are made available to cinemas via a platform and a detailed categorisation system, particularly by age group. We curate the selection and can advise cinemas.
Contrary to what one might think, this is not about e-sports. Our proposal is more community-oriented and more fun, the audience can move around the theatre and the lights will stay on.
Nor is it an educational proposal, even though the target audience is fairly young, aged 16-30. The average age of a video game player is around 30.
Our offer can also tie in with the cinema's programme: a horror film can be linked to an activity based on a horror video game, for example.
What message would you like to send to interested cinemas?
Our aim is not to organise one-off events, but rather to ensure that the activity we set up is a regular feature. The model we propose is simple. The technical requirements are minimal, apart from the purchase of a laptop and controllers. We also believe our business model is accessible to as many people as possible, based on sharing the ticket price in the same way as film distribution. As such, the obstacles seem easy to overcome.
The venue's role is to define the action in terms of target audience and schedule. Cinemas take charge of the games and can offer other activities. One of them organises conferences. Another organises quizzes. There are family screenings.
The challenge for the cinema is to attract audiences who are not necessarily familiar with it, such as gamers in the region, through local contacts and marketing tools. An event coordinator (in-house or external) is almost essential for implementation. However, our proposal brings together cinema teams, which include film lovers who are also gamers. It is a tool for internal motivation and image building, and some participating cinemas now mention the initiative in their recruitment advertisements.
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Contacts: www.kinogames.eu
Thierry Baujard - thierry@spielfabrique.eu
Emma Dauphin – emma@spielfabrique.eu
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Picture: Chained Together, FEFFS 2025, Cosmos, Strasbourg
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