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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Snubbed From 2026 Grammy Game Score Category

Industry composers questioned the omission, citing Lorien Testard’s widely acclaimed, chart‑topping soundtrack.

Overview

  • The Recording Academy selected scores from Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Helldivers 2, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Star Wars Outlaws: Wild Card & A Pirate’s Fortune, and Sword of the Sea for the 2026 video game score category.
  • Sword of the Sea composer Austin Wintory congratulated fellow nominees but said he was sad about Expedition 33’s absence and would happily trade places.
  • Emmy-winning composer Geoff Zanelli agreed Expedition 33 was worthy while noting it was difficult to exclude any of the five finalists.
  • Lorien Testard’s Expedition 33 album topped Billboard’s Classical chart for ten weeks, and recent orchestral concerts in France sold out ahead of a planned 2026 international run.
  • Despite the Grammys miss, the game holds multiple Golden Joystick nominations with winners due November 20, and The Game Awards nominations are expected mid‑November before the December 12 ceremony; it also did not land a ‘Best Song Written for Visual Media’ nod, a category that has never included a video game song.