Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Disqualified from Indie Game Awards Over AI Misrepresentation Claims
The Indie Game Awards, typically a joyful and low-drama annual event celebrating the finest indie games, has recently had to retract three awards presented at last week’s ceremony, including the coveted Game of the Year title. This award was initially given to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which also snagged the Best Debut Indie award. These choices sparked controversy since the game doesn’t fit the traditional definition of “indie.” The retraction stemmed from allegations that the developers, Sandfall Interactive, were not forthcoming about the game’s use of AI during the submission process. Additionally, an Indie Vanguard award for a Game Boy-style game was rescinded due to its exclusive availability on ModRetro devices, owned by weapons dealer Palmer Luckey.
A core aspect of the IGAs, organized by Six One Indie, is its commitment to progressive values and a supportive indie environment, setting it apart from other award shows. One of these values is a strict non-endorsement of games developed using generative AI tools. In a video shared over the weekend, Mike Towndrow from Six One stated that Sandfall had assured the IGAs that no generative AI was involved in creating Clair Obscur, only to admit otherwise on the day of the awards. (We have reached out to Sandfall and its owners for their perspective on the situation.)
The IGA’s FAQ reiterates this stance, emphasizing their firm position against the use of generative AI throughout the nomination and award process. When Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was submitted, a Sandfall representative confirmed that no generative AI was utilized in its development. However, after Sandfall acknowledged the use of generative AI art on the day of the Indie Game Awards 2025 premiere, the game was disqualified from its nominations. Although the problematic assets were removed and the game is still highly regarded, it violated the established regulations. Consequently, the IGA nomination committee decided to officially retract both the Debut Game and Game of the Year awards.
As a result, Blue Prince has been awarded Game of the Year, while the Debut Game award goes to à la mode games’ Sorry We’re Closed.
The other award retraction involved the IGA’s Indie Vanguard selection, Gortyn Code, a Greek indie developer behind the Game Boy game Chantey. Following the announcement, the IGA team discovered that the game’s physical cartridge is exclusively produced and sold by ModRetro, a retro gaming company owned by Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey, who also runs the arms-dealing Anduril Industries. To clarify, ModRetro recently unveiled the Anduril Chromatic, a retro gaming device made from the same materials used in their military drones.
In the IGA’s FAQ, it states, “The IGAs nomination committee became aware of ModRetro’s nature and principles the day after the 2025 premiere, coinciding with news of their upcoming handheld console. As the company fundamentally contradicts the values of the IGAs, the Indie Vanguard award has also been retracted to avoid providing them with a platform.”
However, it emphasizes that “this decision reflects on ModRetro alone, not Gortyn Code. Chantey remains a fantastic homage to the Game Boy era,” encouraging players to check out the game on its Itch.io page.
Some may argue that award organizers should not let ideological beliefs influence their criteria. Those individuals can take solace in knowing that this is the norm for most other ceremonies, while recognizing that the IGAs are independently operated by Six One Indie, which has the freedom to set its own standards. You can catch all the original announcements for the IGAs in the video below, where replacement acceptance speeches will be recorded by the new winners.
