Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Delivers Unexpected Surprises for Sandfall Interactive

If you’ve been keeping up with the gaming scene, you know that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was the standout title of 2025, snagging the coveted Game of the Year award and earning accolades from various outlets. The JRPG’s success took developer Sandfall Interactive by surprise, with the team admitting they “underestimated” the appeal of the game’s side content. In an interview for a February 2026 issue, lead game designer Michel Nohra shared that the optional objectives—like extra bosses, minigames, and side quests—were far more engaging for players than they had anticipated.

“Often, players prefer to dive into side content before finishing the main story, as the motivation tends to wane once the narrative concludes,” Nohra noted. He acknowledged that this might have left some players feeling let down if they were looking for a challenging final boss fight. While he stands by the design choices, he felt the team could have provided clearer guidance regarding player choices in Act 3.

Lead programmer Tom Guillermin echoed this sentiment, expressing surprise at how many players chose to explore everything the game had to offer instead of rushing through the main storyline. He attributed this to a sense of humility within the team, as they weren’t initially confident in the game’s potential. “We weren’t sure if our game was going to be that good,” he explained. “We thought players might just want to see the story and skip to the end. So it was a pleasant surprise to see them engaging with every aspect of the game before tackling the final dungeon.”

Nohra mentioned that one area for improvement could have been clearer communication about the intended difficulty of the final boss, suggesting players should have approached it with a mindset to “beat it down now” rather than overleveling through side content. Regardless, the game received stellar reviews and shattered records at The Game Awards, taking home nine trophies. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 now stands alongside other legendary GOTY winners like Baldur’s Gate 3, God of War, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. The game’s success even caught the attention of France’s president, who congratulated the team for showcasing their country’s gaming prowess.