"Clair Obscur – Expedition 33" loses GOTY status
Originally, "Clair Obscur – Expedition 33" was the Game of the Year 2025. Interview statements prove to be the downfall of the game studio.
(Image: Sandfall Interactive)
The Indie Game Awards are retroactively withdrawing the Game of the Year 2025 award from the turn-based tactical role-playing game "Clair Obscur – Expedition 33" (GOTY). The French studio Sandfall Interactive only received it in mid-December for its debut work. The reason is a controversy surrounding the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The Indie Game Awards only allow nominations for games that were created without AI tools. However, there appears to be no verification process during the application. Developers merely have to confirm that they have not used AI. According to a statement from the Indie Game Awards, a representative of Sandfall Interactive also did this.
However, it was already clear in April 2025 that this was not technically accurate: Players discovered a billboard with illegible gibberish, apparently created by an AI. Sandfall Interactive replaced the affected textures within the first week of the game's release.
"A Bit of AI"
In an interview with the Spanish magazine El PaĂs at the time, producer François Meurisse explained: "We use a bit of AI, but not much." Following the interview, Sandfall provided a more detailed explanation.
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According to this, some developers had "briefly experimented with AI tools internally to create temporary placeholder textures." It further stated: "After release, instances of a placeholder texture were removed within five days and replaced with the correct textures that were originally intended for release but had been overlooked during the quality assurance process." According to their own statement, the organizers of the Indie Game Awards learned of the interview on the day of this year's awards ceremony.
Now, the game with the second-most votes previously, the puzzle-adventure game "Blue Prince" by developer Dogubomb, receives the award for Game of the Year 2025. "Clair Obscur – Expedition 33" also loses the Debut Game Award, which goes to the survival horror game "Sorry We’re Closed" by A la Mode Games instead.
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