Dofus 3: the never-ending revival of an MMORPG celebrating its 20th anniversary

The origins of the project: why Dofus 3?

If Dofus has managed to endure for decades, it is thanks to the almost heroic efforts to keep a technology on life support. Originally developed in Flash, the game has long pushed the limits of its engine. But in 2020, with the official end of support for this antiquated technology, the reality became clear: Ankama must move on if it is to keep the magic alive for many years to come!

It was against this post-Covid backdrop, between late 2022 and late 2023, that Ankama embarked on the ambitious Dofus 3 project. The studio opted for Unity, a engine that is now central to its production. Around thirty developers began the porting process in direct collaboration with the Unity teams. The project then gained momentum: it was not simply a matter of migrating the game from one technology to another, but of reinventing it, modernising its interfaces, enhancing its animations and improving its performance.

This technological transformation is therefore much more than a simple change of engine: it embodies the desire to usher Dofus into a new era, without betraying the spirit of the original game!

Maxime Lagache, Lead Unity Developer at Ankama

Breaking free from the shackles of Flash

Flash had long been the backbone of Dofus, but also its main constraint. Graphical limitations, the inability to animate maps, restrictions on the number of players that could be displayed simultaneously: the developers had to contend with an engine that was becoming increasingly outdated. Geoffroy Pineau and Maxime Lagache are categorical on this point: keeping Dofus 2 going was quite simply a technical feat.

The switch to the Unity engine was seen as a liberation, but the transition was not without its difficulties. The task ahead looked monumental: exporting twenty years’ worth of assets, evolving a cult classic without upsetting its balance, whilst continuing to keep Dofus 2 and its community of over 200,000 monthly players alive. Here’s an anecdote worth its weight in kamas: the team even went so far as to recreate HD textures from simple screenshots, as they were unable to retrieve the original files, which were either missing or difficult to track down. Scripts are automated in bulk to handle this colossal volume of content. For Maxime Lagache, this is in fact the most painful memory of the project: managing the HD and 4K packs, with 140,000 textures to produce in three different quality levels. A “real nightmare”, as Maxime Lagache puts it.

For Ankama, the project was also an opportunity to recruit new developers. With Flash now a thing of the past, the switch to Unity has enabled the French giant to attract young talent and revitalise its teams. Today, all the studio’s new projects are, in fact, designed around Unity. A welcome unification.

Announcements and launch: a well-managed shift in marketing strategy

In 2024, following several years of semi-confidential development, Ankama carried out a complete overhaul of its communications strategy. The focus shifted to transparency, devlogs, community surveys, an intensive four- to five-month beta phase, and, above all, a major campaign centred on Twitch in December 2024.

The aim is clear: to win over long-standing fans and attract a whole new generation of players. Thanks to the involvement of leading figures from the French streaming scene, including Kameto, Squeezie, MisterMV and the esports teams Solary, Karmine Corp, Aegis and GentleMates, the launch took on an unprecedented scale. The result: over 300,000 pre-registrations following the beta announcement, and one million players reached in barely a month. Our sources tell us that they even had to urgently increase the number of servers to cope with this record influx.

As for accolades, recognition was not long in coming: Dofus 3 won the award for Best Game-as-a-Service (GaaS) at the 2025 Pégases, a prestigious honour in what is, nevertheless, a challenging climate for the French video game industry.

The headache of multi-accounting

Whilst the switch to Unity has resolved many issues, it has also given rise to new challenges, notably the thorny issue of multi-accounting. This characteristic of the Dofus community – where a good half of players enjoy playing multiple characters simultaneously – presents a challenge that is technical, user-experience-related and marketing-related in equal measure.

Currently, the team is considering two solutions: either allowing multiple windows, with an interface designed to make it easy to switch between characters; or simulating multiple characters on a single client. It is this second approach that seems to be gaining the upper hand, although it also raises new questions: how should save files be managed? How can we prevent abuse? How should data flows be organised on the server side?

Still under discussion, this issue clearly illustrates the complexity of addressing current technical constraints whilst maintaining habits that are deeply ingrained within the community.

Production memories: from struggles to moments of magic

Behind the figures and lines of code lie people, struggles and moments that stand the test of time. For Maxime Lagache, the fondest memory remains that of the release: the culmination of two years of hard work, rewarded by the enthusiasm of long-standing fans and newcomers alike. For Geoffroy Pineau, it was the shutdown of the Dofus 2 servers: “a project that’s bigger than yourself”. A historic moment, symbolised by Squeezie’s emotion upon discovering his NPC in the new version of the game.

But the road was also fraught with pitfalls. Geoffroy Pineau recalls in particular the DDoS attacks – on a scale never before seen in the saga’s history – which disrupted the first two weeks following the launch. This caused enormous stress for the team, compounded by intense pressure from the community.

Despite a launch celebration somewhat marred by the attacks on the servers, pride is the prevailing sentiment. With Unity, Dofus 3 will benefit from unprecedented possibilities: dynamic map animations, shaders, a particle system, richer visual feedback… The World of the Twelve will now be able to evolve according to players’ choices. This promises an enhanced sense of immersion that should delight long-standing fans.

Geoffrey Pineau, producer at Ankama

Striking a balance between boldness and fidelity

Dofus 3 is the story of a studio that dared to shape its rough diamond without risking breaking it. A project that required years of work, constant self-reflection and a perfectly calibrated marketing strategy. Ankama has struck the right balance between staying true to its roots and embracing technological innovation, breathing new life into a French gaming legend in an era of realistic 3D blockbusters. Whilst this revival is already proving a success, the future looks even brighter: evolving gameplay, emerging technologies, new expansions… One thing is certain: Dofus 3 has plenty more surprises in store!

The PIX festival brings together the cultural and creative industries ecosystem

Geoffrey Pineau and Maxime Lagache were invited in April 2025 to take part in the PIX festival organised by Plaine Images. PIX was born out of a desire to showcase the key players in the cultural and creative industries of the Hauts-de-France region.

As well as being a forum for networking amongst those working in the creative industries, PIX also serves as a source of inspiration for professionals from ‘elsewhere’ looking to draw on the good ideas, methodologies, creativity and innovations produced within the creative and cultural industries.

Find out more on the festival’s website.

The full recording of our conference is available here: