Clair Obscur: Team Behind Expedition 33 Faced Significant Disputes Over Game’s Conclusion
The Game Awards are just around the corner, and this time of year is buzzing with excitement for all the nominees and those of us looking forward to fresh game announcements. This year, one studio stands out with even more reason to celebrate: Sandfall Interactive. Earlier this year, this indie studio made waves with its debut title, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Despite being their first outing, this narrative-driven, turn-based RPG quickly earned its place among the all-time greats, receiving widespread acclaim for its artistry, storytelling, and the incorporation of mechanics and themes reminiscent of classic Japanese RPGs. Now, Sandfall Interactive is on the brink of making history at The Game Awards. Last month, they shattered the record for the most nominations, racking up an impressive 13, including Game of the Year. I had the chance to chat with the studio’s creative director, Guillaume Broche, earlier this year, and he expressed the team’s “disbelief” at the game’s reception—a sentiment that has surely intensified with its remarkable success. Broche also provided some insights into the game’s development, revealing that there were “a lot of arguments” about the ending, the decision to keep the user interface minimal, and how many are still unaware of the game’s biggest inspiration.
When I asked about the studio’s atmosphere following the game’s success, Broche shared, “I think a lot of us are still in disbelief with how the game’s launched and how fans have embraced it. Every day we say to each other, ‘Is this real?’ or, ‘Can you believe that?’ when we see another milestone reached or that our favorite game developer or studio reached out and congratulated us. It’s all really overwhelming in a way, and we’re super grateful for everyone for their faith and support.”
As I played through Expedition 33, it struck me that the team adopted a “less is more” philosophy in its design. The screen features minimal UI elements, and often, the characters’ expressions and unspoken moments carry as much weight as their dialogue. I asked Broche to elaborate on their design principles. He explained, “We always wanted to tell a story that felt realistic and grounded. Of course, we have fantasy elements, but at its core, it’s a fundamentally human story. We aimed for subtle, realistic interactions and emotions, which is why there’s that ‘less is more’ feeling. It makes the game feel more ‘real’ and relatable. Not every interaction in real life is a perfectly scripted conversation—sometimes it’s just a look or a quiet moment that has the most impact. For the UI, we wanted to maintain that grounded approach to exploration. We trust players to navigate our levels, understand our systems, and engage with the world as we intended. We drew inspiration from games we loved growing up, avoiding unnecessary complexity that doesn’t enhance the core experience.”
I noted that Clair Obscur excels in exploring moral ambiguity, making the ethical dilemmas and significant choices both intriguing and challenging. I asked Broche if he believes there is a definitive “good” ending to the game. He replied, “That’s something we’ve debated a lot within the team! I think your reaction to the endings, and which one is the ‘good’ ending, is super subjective and tied to your personal experiences. That’s a strength of our writing and story—kudos to our Lead Writer Jennifer Svedberg-Yen and our incredible mocap and voice actors. Sometimes, there’s no clear ‘good’ or ‘bad’ choice that everyone will agree on, and living in that grey area, with complex choices, is what makes us real people. Ultimately, what matters is your own interpretation of the ending and the story.”
While many have pointed to influences like Legend of Dragoon, the Final Fantasy series, and even From Software titles, I asked if there were other inspirations worth mentioning. Broche noted, “Actually, I didn’t play Legend of Dragoon before coming up with the QTEs during skills; I learned later that a game did something similar! We also drew inspiration from the Persona series, as well as action games like Devil May Cry and Nier. A major influence was a French novel called La Horde du Contrevent, which tells the story of a group of explorers on a quest to find the source of a supernatural wind. Their journey and the human stories of the team inspired us as we crafted our own tale of expeditioners. I’d recommend that anyone who enjoys our story check out this book, though it hasn’t been fully translated into English due to its dense and nuanced writing in French. So, fans might want to brush up on their French!”
As for whether Clair Obscur will surpass the record held by The Last of Us: Part II and take home more than seven awards at The Game Awards, that remains to be seen. However, with 13 nominations and a Game of the Year award at stake, it’s definitely a moment to tune in for. The Game Awards airs tomorrow, December 11, at 9:30 PM ET / 6:30 PM PT.
