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Clair Obscur leads say JRPG success comes from not caring too much about players

Margarita Kicevski December 21, 2025

27 1 minute read

In an interview with GamesRadar, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 director Guillaume Broche said the team focused on building the game they wanted to play rather than designing to match outside expectations.

Broche framed the approach simply, adapt the project to the team you have and make something sincere. He told GamesRadar the secret was to “not care too much about the players,” and added that if you care about your game, it means you care about the players ultimately. For Broche, a clear identity and a human touch – even if that includes small flaws – makes a title forgivable and memorable.

Lead writer Jennifer Svedberg-Yen described the development as a lot of back-and-forth between departments. She said art influenced story, story influenced art, and music influenced both, and that the team often “elevated each other” so the whole felt greater than the sum of its parts. The team also wore its influences on its sleeve. Broche and others cited classics like Final Fantasy X and Lost Odyssey, and parts of the combat show clear nods to other series – the director’s Devil May Cry challenge runs informed elements of Verso’s moveset, for example.

The game’s commercial and awards success has been hard to miss; see our coverage of its nine wins at The Game Awards for more context on how critics and voters have responded.

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Lead the members of Expedition 33 on their quest to destroy the Paintress so that she can never paint death again. Explore a world of wonders inspired by Belle Époque France and battle unique enemies in this turn-based RPG with real-time mechanics.