Two decades of quests to find the precious Dofus, eggs with magical properties, laid by dragons. Two decades of epic multiplayer battles, and adventures shared by a community of millions of gamers around the world, gathered around an exciting and unifying game, innovative when it was released and which has evolved with the times. And it is an understatement to say that all video game fans know Dofus at least by name, as what the Ankama studio has achieved is emblematic and has had a significant impact on video game culture, in France and internationally.

The success story of Ankama, a French digital creation studio

"A northern video game gem" for some, "Flanders' Silicon Valley" for others, Ankama was born in 2001. Anthony Roux, Camille Chafer and Emmanuel Darras founded a web communications agency in the hive of businesses in Tourcoing, in the north of France, in what would later become Plaine Image, a key hub of digital businesses in the region. The Ankama agency quickly mutated into an independent video game production studio (Ankama Games), animated films (Ankama Animations) and a publishing house (Ankama Editions). It is now located in Roubaix, in a former textile factory.

Dofus, a unique fantasy universe

Dofus is an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game), a genre of game that allows a large number of people to interact simultaneously in a virtual world and in which their character progresses as they go, becoming more and more powerful. Dofus therefore takes place in a medieval-fantasy universe where players go in search of the 6 famous dragon eggs scattered across the world, symbols of power and bearers of hope, in order to restore harmony. To find them, players must explore a world as rich as it is complex, the World of Twelve, which takes its name from the twelve gods who govern it.

In Dofus, when you start a new game and create a new character, you start by choosing a class, there are 19 in total. Each class has its own abilities and a particular story, plays a main role in the Dofus universe and has specializations and a style of play that are of capital importance for the game, especially during the combat phases where a good strategy is the key to winning. For example, the class "The Heart of Iop" represents warriors who prefer melee combat and powerful melee, "The Expanse of Cra" is an archer class that deals great damage from a distance, "The Hands of Eniripsa" are healing experts who can hinder their opponents, while "The Whip of Osamodas" is a class of summoners who use their beasts to fight their enemies... Geography also counts for a lot: the World of Twelve is divided into several distinct regions, each with its own characteristics and creatures, its share of intrigues and secondary quests. This complexity of the world in which a large number of players evolve simultaneously allows us to understand the success of the game Dofus, which offers to immerse oneself in a vast and coherent universe and to take the time to discover it... Add to that the fact that each corner of this universe is generous in puns, humorous touches and various cultural references, allowing one to leave reality while keeping one foot in it, and the exploration becomes as entertaining as it is enriching.

Visually, Dofus is also a recognizable video game. Its unique graphic style is inspired by comics and is very rich and colorful, which contributes to its popularity upon its release. A 2D, old school game that is unlike any other... an authentic gem Made in France.

Innovative and refreshing strategic gameplay

When Dofus was released in 2004, the video game market and more specifically the MMORPG genre was largely dominated by titles such as the essential World of Warcraft (WOW), released the same year. This did not prevent Dofus from finding its audience and even surpassing WOW in France, partly thanks to its original gameplay. The main quest, which consists of finding the 6 dragon eggs, is indeed punctuated by new types of battles whose system is called turn-based tactics: players move on a grid similar to a chessboard and use points to attack, move, use spells or any other skills and specificities induced by the class to which the character belongs. This gameplay makes each fight unique and requires real thought before throwing oneself into battle for those who would like to triumph. To conquer new territories, the game also promotes a system of alliances and guilds, which adds a social and cooperative dimension compared to other video games.

Dofus also relies on a robust and homogeneous crafting and economy system. To progress in the story, advance their character and acquire additional skills that are useful in combat, players can indeed harvest more or less rare resources. These are used to concoct potions, make weapons, and other useful objects. For example, it is possible to harvest wheat and many types of cereals, iron and other metals, ash and a wide variety of wood, gudgeon and many other fish… And of course, each type of resource can only be harvested if the player has the corresponding skills, which requires teaming up with other players with complementary abilities and working as a team. Dofus also has its own currency, kamas, which can be used to buy rare items, which helps to boost the gameplay in a way other than combat, but where patience, team spirit and strategy are still required.

Dofus 3.0: evolution and modernization

Since its beginnings, Dofus has managed to unite a passionate and active community and it should be noted that beyond the game, what has made its success is also its social aspect. A popularity reinforced by the other projects developed by Ankama, such as the famous animated series Wakfu to name but one, broadcast from 2008 to 2024 on channels of the France Télévisions group, and which even won over Netflix in 2014.

But the video game industry has changed a lot in 20 years. Obsolete technologies, outdated development code... even the biggest have to renew themselves and give themselves the means to breathe new life. If, since 2004, Dofus has continued to evolve with regular updates and significant graphical improvements, Ankama initiated more than 5 years ago a thorough overhaul of its most famous video game, motivated by the transition to the Unity engine which makes way for a more fluid and immersive gaming experience. The new version of Dofus (Dofus 3.0) is already available to die-hard fans as well as gamers discovering the game for the very first time. This version preserves the essence of what made the game a success for millions of players. And thus continues the quest for this video game that has survived the years without losing its splendor, this video game iconic.