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After Golden Joystick Sweep, Clair Obscur Studio Vows to Stay Small

The 30-person French team says it will keep focusing on emotionally driven, "honest and true" games as its breakout JRPG heads into The Game Awards with unprecedented momentum.

Overview

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won seven Golden Joystick Awards including Ultimate Game of the Year, tying Baldur’s Gate 3’s record, with 30.71% of the top prize vote.
  • Creative director Guillaume Broche says Sandfall Interactive does not plan to significantly expand, emphasizing that the studio works best as a small team.
  • The game launched April 24 as a Day One title on Xbox Game Pass and reportedly sold 3.3 million copies in 33 days, surpassing 5 million by early October.
  • Critics scored it 92 on Metacritic and players gave it a 9.6 user rating, which reporting describes as the platform’s highest to date.
  • Expedition 33 leads this year’s Game Awards nominations with a reported record-setting 12 nods, keeping attention on the studio heading into December.