What if you were President of the United States?

In “President Simulator,” you embody an American president facing multiple situations: decision-making, press conferences, signing decrees, managing popularity… A chaotic and parodic first game from the very young studio 14b, led by two Frenchmen on an adventure as crazy as their game.

“We spent over 30 hours on the phone before starting, as we needed to know if we shared the same values.” Pierre Grimault explains the initial contacts he had with Guillaume Cazelles, his partner and co-founder of 14b, the independent studio behind the game “President Simulator.”

Listening to them joking around, one would never guess they are jointly refining their quirky and parodic simulation game from hundreds of miles apart. And they have never actually met in person! This sets the tone for a title with strong chaotic and parodic potential.

Their very first game created quite a buzz on social media with a proposal not so far from a certain reality across the Atlantic. “Within a week of the trailer release, we had over 10,000 additional wishlists (added on Steam wishlists, editor’s note), and we now have over 14,000,” enthuses Guillaume Cazelles.

Germany, the United States, England, and even China have been receptive to this first-person simulation game that immerses players in the Oval Office. “It’s a French-French game, but currently, France is not very responsive to the game. We only have 650 wishlists from French players,” he regrets.

From burnout to presidential telework

In the vein of “Supermarket Simulator” and other popular simulation games, they refined their proposal, nested in Guillaume Cazelles’ mind. “I experienced burnout and, after a year of isolation at home, trying to figure out what I wanted to do, I decided to start my own company,” confides this former Homa Games employee, a Parisian specialist in mobile games. “I created small games alone to rediscover the joy of development. Then I thought I should make a more ‘mass-market’ game, and the idea of ‘President Simulator’ came up.”

“We wanted to create a game that could go viral, like Supermarket Simulator, but inject it with depth and humor,” sums up Guillaume Cazelles. “We wanted to make a ‘white-collar’ game, a bureau simulation with the most iconic role in the world. Everyone understands the stakes of being President, from 13 to 75 years old.”

The two developers then decided to self-finance to ensure their editorial and creative freedom. “We want to move fast and remain masters of our choices,” emphasizes Pierre Grimault to justify not seeking public support from the CNC Video Games or the Video Game Solidarity Fund. “Anyway, it’s just the two of us, and we lacked certain profiles, especially artistic ones, to submit some applications.”

Over the past year, the two men have created their company, as well as their modern and unexpected way of working. With Pierre Grimault, a former Ubisoft employee more focused on AAA games, and Guillaume Cazelles, more specialized in mobile games, it was all about absolute trust and balance. “We have a ritual every Monday to break the isolation of teleworking. We meet online and play together for two hours. It’s our way of creating a bond as if we were at the water cooler, but remotely,” Guillaume Cazelles says with a smile. A keyboard-mouse team-building activity, fueled with humor and jokes, which brings them together and motivates them to move forward with their game that, despite its American themes, exudes French humor.

Showing the absurdity of power

How to stay funny without becoming partisan? How to create a simulation in the White House, in the Oval Office, without the game turning into a political tool? These were the questions they pondered when defining the scope of “President Simulator.” “We don’t want to make a ‘Troll Game,'” asserts Pierre Grimault. “We don’t label a law as left or right when proposed in the game. We simply show the absurd or dramatic consequences of a decision made.” And he adds: “It’s a slightly cheeky, fun, and accessible simulation game, not a platform for expressing opinions.” No partisan politics, just a playful desire to highlight the absurdity of power.

In total, they have planned around 600 to 700 law decree proposals to vote on (or not), quirky situations to resolve, etc. All of this will only grow as the final stretch approaches. You must handle the files, read them, stamp them, sign the texts, manage them, communicate, and above all, try to survive (financially, popularly, and politically) by avoiding bankruptcy, uprisings, and international crises. Otherwise, there’s always the red button to fix everything…

If Guillaume Cazelles and Pierre Grimault infused humor and parody (reality surpassing possible fiction) into their creation and addressed a wide range of themes, they also avoided certain subjects. “There are topics we will never touch, like war or certain sordid affairs. We want it to remain entertainment, not a toxic outlet,” analyzes Guillaume Cazelles. No mention of pedopornography or allusions to the Epstein case. It’s an American presidency simulation, not a game about Donald Trump, they clarify.

Fear of MAGA review bombing

Confident in their product that is slowly beginning to make waves, the two founders of 14b also feel a slight stress as they hope to deliver a playable demo in May before a slightly later release. Excitement tinged with great caution, especially in the face of the trend of “review bombing,” which aims to destroy a game with a catastrophic rating, often unjustified.

“Our biggest fear is that politicized people will give the game a bad rating without even playing it, just because they think we’re attacking their camp. We must be very clear about our neutrality,” declares Guillaume Cazelles. “We have invested all our savings in this. The success of ‘President Simulator’ is what will allow us to launch our second project and maybe expand the team. But I think there is a way to make this game profitable, at least in production, and to make a sequel after,” he muses hopefully. For now, the two of them must keep their business afloat, learn to put together a marketing strategy to promote the game.

They both know the subject is sensitive, especially with recent international events or even just American ones. A bad buzz, the slightest misstep, and the viral success could turn into unnecessary controversy. Between lines of code, they pave their way to the White House on Instagram, X, and TikTok with several videos posted each week to explain their concept. Will this be enough for the public to see a game and not a scathing critique? Only time will tell. But “President Simulator” certainly checks all the boxes to attract the attention of streamers, always eager to share unexpected games with their community focusing on humor. They hope these streamers will be their first supporters to propel them to success. We have already signed up.