French President Praises Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 for Its Historic Award Success, Emphasizing Legacy for Future Generations

President Emmanuel Macron of France has once again praised Sandfall Interactive, the studio behind the acclaimed RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, following its historic success at The Game Awards 2025.

This week, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 dominated the awards, taking home more trophies than any other game in the event’s history, including Game of the Year, Best RPG, Best Art Direction, Best Game Direction, and the notably contentious Best Independent Game.

“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has just been named Game of the Year in Los Angeles,” Macron announced on his personal Instagram. “A historic first for a French title! Great pride for Montpellier and for France. Congratulations to the Sandfall Interactive team. For future generations and those that follow!”

Previously, Macron had highlighted the Japanese-inspired RPG around its launch, calling it “one of the best-rated games in history: and yes, it’s French!” He also noted that Sandfall Interactive exemplifies “French audacity and creativity.”

The accolades continued to pour in from industry figures, including Baldur’s Gate 3’s director Swen Vincke and legendary Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, who expressed admiration after Clair Obscur’s director revealed that Sakaguchi inspired his journey into game development.

In addition, Sandfall Interactive has rolled out a free update for the game, introducing a new area, various adjustments, and a couple of super bosses that are so challenging they have disrupted established endgame builds.

The lead of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 encourages fans of the story to explore one of the RPG’s major inspirations, though a knowledge of French is required first.