For fans of Ankama and Wakfu, the passion for this rich universe and its endearing characters never fades. But have you ever considered the economic challenges of producing an animated series of this quality in France? Anthony Roux, aka Tot, co-founder of Ankama, recently lifted the veil with rare frankness about the financial realities of the sector during the Twitch live stream for the Kickstarter campaign launch of Wakfu’s season 5. His statements are unequivocal: “Animation is not profitable. Animation is an investment.”
These words, far from being alarmist, present a clear picture of a sector that is both dynamic and fragile. To understand the stakes, Tot breaks down the costs:
- “An employee paid 2000€ actually costs the company 4000€”: This figure illustrates the importance of social charges in France, which double the gross salary cost for the employer.
- “90% of the budget is dedicated to human resources”: Animation is, above all, a talent-driven profession. The overwhelming portion of the budget allocated to creative teams underscores the importance of human capital in this process.
- “Intermittent workers represent a significant additional cost”: The intermittent status, specific to the audiovisual sector, generates additional charges for studios.
These raw figures highlight a reality: producing animation in France is expensive. And this economic equation becomes even more complex in a challenging industrial context.
The French animation industry is not doing well, and Tot does not hesitate to say so. “There was a bubble that burst,” he says, pointing to the proliferation of animation schools and massive investments from American platforms – Netflix, Amazon – that inflated the sector before withdrawing as quickly as they arrived. The result: “There is overproduction in every area,” and job opportunities are becoming scarce. Young talents, trained at great expense, often find themselves out of work, while studios close their doors. This situation has several direct consequences:
- Studio closures: Companies weakened by high costs and an uncertain environment are shutting down.
- Difficulties for young talents: Despite a growing need to maintain high quality with a controlled budget, it is a constant challenge. As Malec (co-producer of season 5) points out: “It’s a constant balancing act. The idea is not to be frugal, but to put every euro where it needs to be.”
For Wakfu, every euro counts and must be optimized to ensure the quality of animation that fans know and love. Tot insists: “It’s the talent that comes from the fingers and minds of the people, and the entire budget goes into that.” This statement underscores that the major investment is focused on the talent of animators and creatives, ensuring the visual and narrative quality of Wakfu.
The comparison with giants like Arcane, whose colossal budget of 250 million euros served as a benchmark for quality, is enlightening. Tot clarifies: “We are not at 250,000€ per second,” and adds “We are not operating with American budgets; it’s incomparable.” Nevertheless, Wakfu manages to maintain remarkable animation quality with far more modest means. Season 4, for example, already reached a cost of “over 550,000€ per episode.” Yet, even Arcane, despite its critical and popular success, illustrates the limits of profitability. Tot reminds us: “Animation is an investment; you don’t make money with animation,” citing Fortiche, which lost money on this titanic project.
To our knowledge, season 4 did not hesitate to call upon Chinese animators for a few key seconds of animation (key animation), a pragmatic decision to optimize costs without sacrificing artistic vision.
Despite these significant costs, Ankama made bold choices for season 4 of Wakfu. Tot reveals: “We invested between 1.5 and 2 million euros of our own money in season 4.” A substantial investment driven by the desire to offer a quality series to their fans. Although the series recoups costs through broadcast rights sales, the offers are not always up to par. Tot recounts how a streaming service offered “100,000 dollars… for 15 episodes!” for the worldwide rights to season 4, an offer that Ankama refused, preferring to broadcast the series for free on YouTube to make it accessible to as many people as possible.
Tot also criticizes the lack of transparency in some schools: “which train poorly” and “do not tell students that they may not have a future in this field.” A bitter but necessary truth.
“We have the chance to do what we want, to pour ourselves unconditionally into our work.”
Despite these challenges, France remains a global powerhouse in animation. As the third-largest producer behind the United States and Japan, it stands out for its expertise, renowned schools (Les Gobelins, ESMA), and the support of the CNC. Exports drive the industry: in 2020, French animation generated 74.7 million euros internationally, fueled by successes like Ballerina or The Minions. However, this dependence on co-productions (86% of aided projects in 2022) exposes the sector to the vagaries of foreign markets.
In terms of employment, the figures speak for themselves: 6,200 people work in animation in France (2022), but 80% of contracts are precarious. The demand for talent is exploding, with an expected shortfall of 2,500 positions in the next five years, but the decline in platform investments in 2023-2024 further weakens the sector. Salaries are increasing, but instability remains the norm.
Yet, Ankama has made its mark on the history of French animation long before this crisis. Since the late 2000s, the studio has established itself as a pioneer by using Flash, a revolutionary tool for animation at the time. Their mastery of this technology was such that Adobe itself visited their offices to observe their work, a concrete testament to their influence and creative audacity at the time.
Producing Wakfu in France is a bold bet in a sector where the numbers rarely favor creators. Ankama Animations embodies a form of resistance, a determination to bring their vision to life without compromising. Yes, French animation is going through a tough time, with overproduction, investor withdrawals, and precarity. But it is carried by passionate individuals who continue to believe in their dreams – and in you, the fans, to support them. The next time you watch an episode of Wakfu, remember: behind every frame, there is a hard-earned euro. 😉