Government Officials Seize Expedition 33 Art Book, Mistaking It for an Ancient Artifact

The vibrant, storybook world of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is undeniably stunning, perhaps even too stunning for its own good. This was humorously highlighted by a fan who attempted to import a special edition of the game that included an art book.

The Monolith Set of Expedition 33 is a collector’s dream, featuring a steelbook case for the acclaimed RPG, a music box statuette, and a 48-page hardcover art book. Pre-orders kicked off in mid-2025, with shipments starting in January 2026, but not every package made it to its owner unscathed. Reddit user Ahmed15252 shared a letter from the Iraqi government explaining why Customs had seized the package for further inspection.

“The parcel contained an art book with drawings of monetary value,” the letter states. It goes on to mention that the art book has been referred to Iraq’s Ministry of Culture and Antiquities for further evaluation. Another document included in the notice indicates that the art book was sent to Iraq’s Directorate of Investigation and Excavation.

“This can’t be for real,” Ahmed15252 commented. “They’re acting like it’s a Mona Lisa or something,” they added in response to a comment. “I don’t know what went through their minds to think it’s an ancient book,” they remarked in another reply. The letters from the Iraqi government can be viewed in the embed below.

What makes this situation particularly amusing is that someone at Customs had to open the collector’s edition and sift through its contents before mistaking it for an ancient artifact. The actual name of the game is clearly visible on both the steelbook case and the Paintress replica. Perhaps someone at Iraqi Customs saw the news about Sandfall Interactive being knighted by France and assumed the art book held historical significance?

While Sandfall Interactive has yet to comment, Ahmed15252 is taking the mix-up in stride. The chances of getting the package back are quite high, considering it’s not an ancient relic.

“Honestly, at this point, I’m just going to laugh it off. I’ve been waiting for probably 7 or 8 months for the set, and now this kind of nonsense happens, like seriously?!” Ahmed15252 wrote.

“10/10 experience, will definitely accidentally import history again,” they quipped.