Ziff Davis Forms New Partnership for IGN France as Part of Global Licensing Expansion

Ziff Davis, the parent company of IGN Entertainment, has entered into a new partnership with European media group eMense to manage IGN France. This move is part of the company's broader effort to expand its international licensing. eMense already operates several other IGN brands, including IGN Benelux, IGN Nordic, and IGN Germany, under license from Ziff Davis. IGN France, which was initially launched in 2015 by Webedia and has been operated by a team led by Editor-in-Chief Erwan Lafleuriel since 2020, will continue under the new partnership with its existing team intact. Lafleuriel expressed enthusiasm for the transition, viewing it as an opportunity to build upon the site's current success. Adam Doree, SVP of Global Partners at Ziff Davis, welcomed the expansion with eMense, noting the competitive nature of European markets and the need for thoughtful engagement with audiences and advertisers. Camiel Slingerland, CEO of eMense, highlighted the popularity of games, entertainment, and fan culture in France, citing it as a logical next step in their growth strategy. The partnership significantly increases eMense's multi-platform reach, now totaling approximately 16 million users across four IGN brands. On a global scale, IGN reaches 366 million users across 30 international editions and over 100 countries. Additionally, Ziff Davis is set to launch a French edition of CNET through a separate agreement, further expanding its brand licensing efforts.