Paris - September 22, 2015
Gamers visiting the exhibition entitled "Art in Video Games – the French Inspiration" in Paris from 25 September 2015 to 6 March 2016 will get an insight into the sketches and illustrations that were used to create the "Syberia" saga and "Amerzone". The exposition is fully localized in English.

Boasting over 800 works (sketches, watercolours, paintings and sculptures), the Art Ludique museum is staging the world's first major exhibition to showcase Art in Video Games. The exhibition will give amateurs and fans alike chance to discover a wealth of art from a wide variety of backgrounds, which have been arranged into seven different themes, including "Drawing towns and cities" and "An open invitation for a journey". These two themes are perfectly symbolised in the artwork by Benoit Sokal, artistic director for "Amerzone" and the "Syberia" series, both of which represent major titles in publisher Microïds' adventure games catalogue. Many of the original works that served as blueprints for these games will be on show throughout the circuit designed by Jean-Jacques and Diane Launier, the museum's President and Managing Director respectively.

In an era when design and pre-production are predominantly computerised, Benoit Sokal breaks the mould by continuing to use conventional pencil sketches and watercolours to breathe life into his gaming worlds, places and characters, as well as certain gameplay mechanics. The rich artistic value inherent in his works, especially for the "Syberia" saga, can be credited to his ability to consistently create real-life worlds with a twist by injecting an element of mystery and fantasy, as well as the ubiquitous mechanical objects characterising the steampunk trend.


Benoit Sokal gave his thoughts on the exhibition: "The way in which video games are perceived is changing in people's minds. The Art Ludique museum has always showed its imaginative streak by focusing the spotlight on the masterpieces of popular culture, and this exhibition is no exception by exclusively paying tribute to the people that design video game worlds. It gives me an immense feeling of pride to see some of the artwork that was instrumental in masterminding the "Syberia" series, both past and future, displayed in the company of other leading video games titles produced in France."

Benoit Sokal is once again working closely alongside Microïds in creating "Syberia 3", a new instalment in the adventures of Kate Walker, which the series' extremely active and enthusiastic community of gamers has been demanding for over 10 years. The game is slated for release in autumn 2016 on PS4, Xbox One, PC and Mac platforms.

Most of the video seems to be excerpts from the first two games, not the current game being worked on.

Think they'll play on the more current PC's?

Most of the video seems to be excerpts from the first two games, not the current game being worked on.
I'll be surprised if this is finished in 2016, but we'll see.

Mein Gott, où avez-vous donc volé ça, Miss Walker?!
My God, where did you steal this then, Miss Walker?! - Steiner, the Jewish jeweler asked ...