Despite its coronation, Clair Obscur Expedition 33 was the subject of several controversies at the time of the last Game Awards. The studio returns to one of them in a surprising way.
The year 2025 will not have been easy for the French studio Sandfall Interactive. In addition to the release of its very first game, Chiaroscuro Expedition 33the success encountered by it placed the entire team at the forefront. But, as is often the case, success encourages the emergence of detractors of all kinds. Thus, the title elected “Game of the Year” at the Game Awards 2025 has been the subject of several controversies. However, there is one that the studio seems to have a good handle on. He’s officially back on it.
Sandfall understands this controversy around Clair Obscur
It’s been a banner year for The Game Awards. The 2025 edition saw the coronation of Clair Obscur Expedition, a title which surpassed the number of nominations never obtained and, above all, the number of awards won. He thus beat The Last of Us with his 9 titles, a first for the ceremony. That said, this figure could never have been reached without having competed in two categories to which not everyone can claim: that of “Best independent game” and “Best first independent game”.
Precisely, these last two nominations caused debate within the video game community. This might be surprising, but Sandfall is understanding of the controversies that have erupted on this subject. In an interview for Edge magazine, William Brocheco-founder of the studio, recognizes that Clair Obscur displays “ 3D graphics that don’t really fit our idea of an indie game “. In addition, the production benefited from a budget of around 10 million dollars, easily cataloging it as “Triple-i” game (equivalent to AAA in big budget productions).
Tom Guillermin, head of programming for Clair Obscur, emphasizes that “ the project undeniably started as an independent “. However, he recognizes thatit grew throughout the production process. This controversy ultimately has the merit of putting the definition of what an indie game is back on the table, especially at ceremonies like the Game Awards. Guillermin recalls, for example, that Death Stranding, from Kojima Productions, is technically independent. A gap then separates such an achievement from titles like Hades 2Hollow Knight Silksong, Dispatch, Absolute or even Blue Prince. Pin to conclude with fair playadmitting that he and his teams would have “ preferred that this award go to a smaller studio ».
Source : Edge / Knowledge.
