‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’ emerges as the biggest winner at the Game of the Year awards

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 dominated this year’s Game of the Year Awards, securing nine wins from a record-breaking 12 nominations at the ceremony held on Thursday, December 11.

The role-playing title claimed the top Game of the Year honour and went on to collect several major awards across creative and technical categories. These included Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Score and Music, Best Performance for Jennifer English, Best Role-Playing Game, Best Independent Game and Best Debut Indie Game.

The scale of the sweep has drawn widespread attention within the gaming industry, particularly because of the game’s comparatively small development budget. Sandfall Interactive, the studio behind the project, has said the game was produced for around $10 million, a fraction of the budgets often associated with large-scale releases that can exceed $700 million.

Guillaume Broche, chief executive and creative director at Sandfall Interactive, said the success reflects how advances in technology have changed game development. He noted that smaller teams are now capable of producing ambitious titles that can compete with the industry’s biggest studios.

Broche also described the development process as demanding, explaining that the team relied heavily on experimentation to refine the final product. Elements such as pacing, camera work, music and lighting were repeatedly adjusted, with changes continuing late into production.

Released in April 2025, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has also delivered strong commercial results. By October, the game had sold more than five million copies worldwide, cementing its status as both a critical and commercial success.