All articles tagged with #sandfall interactive
Sandfall Interactive's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 developers reject scaling up despite success, preferring a lean, hands-on approach to keep creativity intact; they emphasize quality over size and recently won Game of the Year at the NY Game Awards.
Adrian Chmielarz, a 34-year game industry veteran, says Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 looks and feels like a AAA title despite a core team of about 30 with many first-time developers. He describes how the team used shortcuts—such as enemies without faces and theatre-style cutscenes—to achieve high production values with fewer resources, a realization that left him saying his worldview was “ruined.” The piece highlights how outsourcing and inexperience can still yield a visually and technically polished game, challenging assumptions about what it takes to make AAA-quality RPGs.
Veteran developer Adrian Chmielarz is stunned by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s AAA-grade quality produced by a ~30-person core team (half first-timers) on under $10M, aided by outsourcing; he calls it 'the biggest mystery in gaming,' noting design tricks like faceless enemies and cutscene-centric sequences as keys, while the game continues to rack up awards.
Sandfall Interactive plans to focus on their creative vision rather than succumbing to fan pressure for their next game, emphasizing trusting their instincts and building on their experience from the success of Expedition 33.
Sandfall Interactive's next game will prioritize what the developers find cool over fan expectations, following the success of their debut J'RPG, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, emphasizing creative freedom in their development process.
French developer Sandfall Interactive's game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won Game of the Year at The Game Awards, making history as the most-nominated and most-awarded game in the show's 12-year history, with accolades from both the awards and French President Emmanuel Macron, who expressed pride for Montpellier and France.
French President Emmanuel Macron celebrated the French RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 winning Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025, highlighting its record-breaking success and cultural significance for France, amid mixed reactions and industry recognition.
Expedition 33 by Sandfall Interactive is about 85% of the original vision, with developers expressing pride in the game's success and emotional impact, though they wish they could do more with the character Esquie in future updates.
Sandfall Interactive, creators of Clair Obscur Expedition 33, are beginning work on their next project, promising it will be 'crazy' and artsy, while continuing to support Expedition 33 with updates. The new game will expand the Clair Obscur universe and reflect the studio's small, creative, and artsy philosophy, with fans eagerly awaiting what’s next.
Actor Charlie Cox felt like a 'total fraud' after voicing a character in the successful game Expedition 33, despite only recording his lines for a few hours. The game received critical acclaim for its performances, and the developer plans future updates and a new project.
Clair Obscur's success by a small team highlights the potential for indie and mid-sized games in a saturated market, emphasizing innovation, quality, and sustainable practices, with Kepler Interactive supporting a diverse portfolio of bold, original titles and advocating for smaller, focused teams to maintain creativity and efficiency.