Archelon is an independent video game development studio founded in Lyon in April 2026. Born from the collaboration of three professionals who wanted to create games their own way, our studio champions a human-scale approach to video game production. Far from the sometimes very heavy processes of large structures, we see development as true craftsmanship: with attention to detail, pragmatism, and great creative freedom.
Our founding team brings together three complementary profiles from the industry. Laurent Williet serves as Art Director after more than six years of production experience, notably at Ubisoft, Kylotonn, and Novaquark. Nathan Loudjani, a C++ engineer and developer specializing in game engines, brings over seven years of experience in the AA sector and oversees the studio's technical direction. Finally, Kilian Baptendier, a creator of video games, board games, and escape games, takes charge of game direction after several years at Kylotonn as Game Designer and then Associate Lead Game Designer.
This complementarity is the heart of Archelon. We pool our artistic, technical, and creative skills to build coherent projects while preserving the flexibility and closeness of a small independent team.
We are currently working on our first game. Still unannounced, this ambitious project draws on our shared history and will combine a strong art direction, an in-depth storyline, and innovative gameplay mechanics, all within a Lyon environment.
Beyond our productions, we also want to build a studio that matches our vision of the craft. Archelon champions an ethical and healthy work environment, one capable of eventually opening up and welcoming other independent creators. This philosophy also extends to the tools we use: we favor solutions in line with our values and have chosen to ban generative artificial intelligence from our productions.
With Archelon, our ambition is thus to demonstrate that a small independent structure can develop ambitious projects while preserving true creative freedom, a human approach to production, and a strong identity.
