Team Vitality’s recent success at IEM Melbourne 2025 not only triggered cheers in the esports world but also attracted significant recognition from the country’s highest office. President Emmanuel Macron made a public congratulatory message to the team on X (formerly Twitter), where he said, “With its Grand Slam, Vitality has elevated France to the top of esports and made our colors shine. Congratulations to the entire team!”
While Macron’s endorsement was received enthusiastically by gamers and the gaming community, it wasn’t lost that his rousing endorsement contrasted with his earlier words on video games. Graham “messioso” Pitt, a general manager at Complexity Gaming, was among the first to note the discrepancy between Macron’s new support and earlier criticism of video games.
The row goes back to the summer of 2023, when large-scale unrest broke out around France after the death of a 17-year-old boy at the hands of police. The event incited eight days of violent riots, with thousands of vehicles and buildings being burnt or destroyed. The aftermath cost a financial price of more than €650 million worth of damage.
Following the riots, President Macron placed blame on video games and during a press conference said that some rioters seemed to be “living out the video games that have intoxicated them.” He even went so far as to suggest that social media access may have to be curbed in the event of future civil unrest.
These comments were joined in criticism, especially by the gaming community, as they repeated the all too common but thoroughly discredited trope that violent video games are a cause of real-world aggression. There are many studies that have been unable to prove a direct causal relationship between video game content and violence, but such assertions still appear in times of societal tension.
In his 2022 re-election campaign, he launched bold plans to make France a world center for competitive gaming. These involved ambitions to host such milestone events like the League of Legends World Championship, The International for Dota 2, and a CS:GO Major.
The French government launched a national esports strategy in 2023 for developing the professional ecosystem, luring massive tournaments, and investing in facilities. These measures attest to France’s determination to be a global leader in the esports scene.
What do you think about the future of esports in France? Let us know in the comments below.