1UP: Between the rise of companies like Infogrames, Ubisoft, Titus and Microids in the late 1990s, what is it with the French and the videogame industry?

Bruno Bonnell: It's that a generation of French students has been educated under computing and mathematical models. Don't forget the country's depth of culture either. I was a wannabe movie producer myself at first, until I realized I could invent the movies of the 21st century.

As a nation, we had a base of raw talent ready to pounce on any creative outlet, and videogames presented just such an opportunity at the time. But truthfully, most French are bad businesspeople. We kind of burst onto the scene for a while, then lost steam as we went along. It's no wonder only Ubisoft and Infogrames have survived thus far -- these are the only two companies which decided to break out of the Franco mindset.