The indie role-playing game ‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’ had an outstanding performance at the 2025 Game Awards on Thursday. It won an impressive nine awards out of a record twelve nominations, including Game of the Year, as well as victories in major categories such as Best Game Direction and Best Narrative.
Its other major wins included Best Art Direction and Best Score and Music. Voice actor Jennifer English won Best Performance for her role in the game. The title also claimed the Best Role-Playing Game and Best Independent Game awards. It rounded out its haul with the award for Best Debut Indie Game.
The Game of the Year award goes to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33! #TheGameAwards @expedition33 @sandfallgames @kepler_interact pic.twitter.com/s33D7xvdvq
— The Game Awards (@thegameawards) December 12, 2025Developer Sandfall Interactive celebrated the unexpected sweep. The team created the game with a budget of only $10 million. This stands in stark contrast to blockbuster titles with budgets exceeding $700 million. The achievement highlights the power of focused creativity in the gaming industry.
The studio’s CEO and Creative Director, Guillaume Broche, commented on their success. “We have the tech now to make those games with a relatively small team,” Broche said. “Games like this are coming. We are lucky to be early.” He acknowledged the intense development challenges the team faced.
C'est magnifique!
Congrats to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and @SandfallGames on winning Game of the Year at #TheGameAwards! pic.twitter.com/qcitdUehYJ
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) December 12, 2025“It was extremely challenging, and we went through extensive trial and error,” he added. The team experimented extensively with camera angles, pacing, music, and lighting. These elements evolved right up until the final stages of production.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was launched in April 2025 and achieved remarkable commercial success and critical acclaim. By October 2025, the game had sold over 5 million units worldwide. Its sweeping of awards solidifies its status as a landmark title in indie game development.
