Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 wins Best Independent Game at The Game Awards amid debate over its indie status
On December 11, 2025, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 took home Best Independent Game at The Game Awards, giving Sandfall Interactive another major trophy after the title led nominations earlier in the season. The win revived questions about what counts as an indie entry. Some community members pointed to a recent withdrawal by the anonymous solo developer behind Megabonk, who complained about “indie” nominees receiving backing from larger companies. Clair Obscur’s publisher is Kepler Interactive, a private company, and Sandfall has disclosed the game’s development cost was around $10 million, a figure larger than many independently financed projects.
The game had dominated the awards conversation since nominations were announced, see the site’s coverage of the Game Awards nominations earlier in November for context on Clair Obscur’s run. Sandfall’s co-founders spoke from the stage during the acceptance. “We wanted to make a small game, but with big ambition,” said François Meurisse. “It was challenging everyday.” Tom Guillermin added, “We dedicate this award to all the indie teams around the world – to those who put creativity first, to those who push forward with limited resources, also, to those who never make it to the release. You make our art form richer.”
Critics who flagged the nomination process have cited budget and publisher backing as the core issues, while supporters note that larger independent projects have appeared before and still differ from AAA releases in structure and scope. The debate briefly touched on other high-profile contenders, with some voices pointing to announcements and commentary from other studios. For background on how developers have reacted to this year’s awards circuit, see the Team Cherry comments.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 now carries a string of major wins from events this season, and Sandfall’s public remarks framed the prize as recognition for small teams and constrained projects as much as for their own game.
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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Developed by Sandfall Interactive
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.
- Genre: Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5
- Modes: Single player
- Release: 2025-04-24
- Publisher: Kepler Interactive
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Age Rating:
ACB MA 15+ / PEGI 18 / USK 16 / CERO Z / GRAC 19+ / CLASS_IND 18 / ESRB M
- IGDB Rating: 93.1/100
