Nearly a year after its release, Clair Obscur Expedition 33 continues to be dissected by industry professionals, for whom it has profoundly changed their vision of the world.
All developers will tell you: successfully bringing a video game to life is a feat. Even for the most experienced among them, who sometimes have years or even decades of experience in the industry within the biggest studios. However, for some time now, the idea that the future of it could also rest on small teams has continued to grow among some, particularly in view of the success encountered by titles like Chiaroscuro Expedition 33. A title which, according to Adrian Chmielarz, has “ruined his view of the world”.
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 changed the outlook of this creator
Indeed, we were still talking to you about it not long ago, the fact that Sandfall Interactive managed to bring such a game to life with a small team largely made up of junior developers certainly amazed more than one. Because at a time when studios generally swear by experience, the creators of Clair Obscur Expedition 33 were able to show that it was entirely possible to bring great games to life without necessarily having too many resources or experience. And for a seasoned creator like Chmielarz, this completely reshuffled the cards.
Because as the latter explains to GamesIndustry.biz, the fact is that it has always evolved with the idea that “ten professional soldiers are as effective as a hundred, even a thousand, amateurs”. A relatively popular adage within the industry, as it proves by looking back on the creation of Macintosh by Steve Jobs, who then surrounded himself with the best for this. “When you have a small team, it’s really important to have the best people”assures Chmielarz.
Well, at least that was what he thought until Sandfall proved him wrong with Clair Obscur Expedition 33. ” More […] I learned that those responsible for Clair Obscur Expedition 33 had hired a lot of beginners, people who had never created a game before. And now my worldview is ruined. […] I’m like, ‘I don’t know what to believe anymore.’ says the creator, whose CV includes titles like Gears of War, Bulletstorm or even more recently The Vanishing of Ethan Carter.
“It’s the biggest mystery in video games today”
” With [Clair Obscur Expedition 33]we have a game that seems to be AAA to me, it’s just phenomenal on every level. It has a deep story, an in-depth working method, good gameplay, but also great visuals and soundtrack. It’s a very consistent product”. “I need to know the secret, because it’s absolutely crazy” he then adds, before nevertheless specifying that he is still perfectly aware that Sandfall did not develop the entire game internally.
“But that doesn’t change the fact that the core team responsible for the vast majority of the game, ideas and execution is around thirty people, half of whom are new” he continues. “So this is the biggest mystery in video games at the moment”. A mystery to which Chmielarz nevertheless holds some keys, which he then highlights by emphasizing to what extent Clair Obscur Expedition 33 is based on “a lot of intelligent decisions that allow [à Sandfall] to create a game that looks like AAA, but is actually full of shortcuts”.
Among them in particular: the fact, for example, that the enemies are faceless, which allows the teams to save themselves a lot of animation work; or the fact that most cutscenes are based on simple discussions between characters. In this way, Sandfall did not need to create interactions with the environment, which again facilitates the development process. But as Chmielarz points out: ultimately it’s all these tricks that help make Clair Obscur Expedition 33 a great game for the industry.
Source : GamesIndustry.biz
