Sandfall Interactive is not interested in expanding later Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's success because its leadership believes that “it's good to have boundaries.” The French studio has emerged as the success story that indie devs dreamed of, with its first title becoming one of the most revered and respected games of 2025 just five years after the company was founded. Now with all the money and fame there is such a huge rise in fame Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 The developer says it doesn't need or want to scale.
While the game has faced some controversy during awards season, Sandfall's debut title has been an undeniable hit. At this year's Game Awards, Campaign 33 It won nine of its record-breaking 12 nominations, and even French President Emmanuel Macron praised the studio for its historic achievements. A laundry list of accolades may give Sandfall enough means and inspiration to grow into a bigger beast, but its leaders don't want to abandon its indie roots so soon.
Clair Obscur developer reveals work has begun on 'very unique and artsy' next game
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 developer Sandfall Interactive says work has begun on its next title.
Expedition 33 studio says limitations are 'the best way to be the best version of yourself'
In an interview with Edge shared in the Knowledge newsletter, creative director Guillaume Broche told the follow-up Campaign 33 “It's good to have boundaries.” Lead programmer Tom Guillermin expressed similar sentiments in a previous interview, saying: Clair Obscur The studio has no plans to expand because it already has an “ideal” size of games it wants to make. Now, Broche offers more insight into the belief that how these boundaries help a team become the best version of itself, because it means everyone, including top leadership, is on hand and working for themselves, not a distant corporate goal.
While there is a bit of controversy around Campaign 33 Considered an “indie” title, thanks to its large budget and major publisher, its original development team consisted of about 30 people, most without game-making experience. According to lead game designer Michelle Nohra, having many young and relatively inexperienced people on staff led to “new ideas”, and that creativity was probably a large part of why the game became as popular as it was. Broche added that smaller operations also have practical advantages. Sandfall's leadership likes making games more than managing, so not having to spend time overseeing a large team helps everyone focus on the game itself.
Sandfall Interactive isn't the only industry voice singing the praises of constraint-bred creativity. Legendary developer and doom As creator John Romero said in the titles Campaign 33 Claiming that many of the best games of the past few years have come from small indie studios may be the downfall of AAA gaming. Many have pointed out how indie devs aren't constrained by investor pressure or corporate goals, which can encourage taking creative risks that, if they resonate with players, can help a game stand out from the crowd. It seems that the team at Sandfall fully recognizes this edge, and it's that freedom that makes the leadership not interested in growing at this time, although that approach does present some limitations.
Looking back at those limitations and the creativity that came from them, Broche says, “The past five years have been some of the best of my life.” From the sounds of it, he and the rest of Sandfall want to keep the good times rolling by sticking to the same development philosophy and small-scale working environment that led to their breakout hit. Broche has already confirmed that there will be more Clair Obscur games in the future, so it will be interesting to see how any sequels or spin-offs live up to the original.
- issued
-
April 24, 2025
- ESRB
-
Mature 17+ / Blood and gore, strong language, suggestive themes, violence
- developer(s)
-
Sandfall Interactive
- Publisher(s)
-
Kepler Interactive
