Nextale Games

Nextale Games is an independent French video game development studio based in Montpellier. Founded in 2016 by Charles-Sébastien Martini and Jonathan Marin, it combines original game development with co-development, technical engineering, porting and art production for external partners. Its work spans PC, consoles, mobile platforms and interactive digital media.

The studio operated as Smart Tale and Smart Tale Games before adopting its current public brand in 2024. That change accompanied an expansion toward proprietary intellectual property and internal AA productions using Unreal Engine 5. Its original project Calame is a single-player, isometric tactical RPG adapted from the literary work of French author Paul Beorn, bringing the studio's production experience into an internally developed game.

Development and production

Nextale offers full-cycle development from pre-production through release, covering game and level design, programming, asset creation, integration and testing. Its engineering capabilities include gameplay systems, artificial intelligence, physics, networking, engine modifications and production tools. Cross-platform work includes adapting games to different hardware, optimizing performance and handling platform requirements.

The studio also provides concept art, character and environment production, modeling, rigging, animation, visual effects and interface design. Audio and narrative services extend to composition, sound design, integration and non-linear writing. These capabilities support both complete productions and focused contributions within larger development teams.

Collaborative work

Long-running production relationships with Microids and Eden Games form a significant part of the studio's history. Its portfolio includes development of Inspector Gadget: MAD Time Party, co-development of Smurfs Kart and contributions to the Gear.Club series. Other work includes Flashback 2, F1 Mobile Racing, The Architect: Paris and technical co-development for Albion Online.

Alongside commercial entertainment games, Nextale's supplied capabilities cover serious games, edutainment, simulations and emerging interactive media. Its operating model combines commissioned production and team augmentation with the development of its own games, allowing it to contribute specialized resources to partner projects while building an original portfolio.