Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Team Admits the RPG's Success Has Surprised Them — 'It Was Not Supposed to Be Big'

The director of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 always believed the turn-based RPG would be "cool," but never anticipated it becoming this "big."

Speaking with Radio Times Gaming after this year's Golden Joysticks awards, creative director Guillaume Broche shared candid insights about the studio’s efforts. He admitted that fan and critic reception has been surprisingly unexpected, noting that "nobody really understands what's happening."

"I think people don't fully realize that now it's become big, but before launch, it wasn't meant to be," Broche said. "I believe we all felt the same way: It was going to be cool, not necessarily huge. What’s happening today is, as we say, nobody really understands what's happening."

"It's a strange feeling when you pour your heart into the world and receive so much love back. The players have shown us incredible affection... it's touching and hard to explain."

Ben Starr — who voices Verso in the RPG — shares this sentiment: "It was never intended to be as massive as it is. It has become a cultural phenomenon, largely because the game feels very honest. Many people connect with that authenticity. I don't think anyone expected this scale for such an indie title. No one predicted those sales numbers; we’ve all been messaging each other thinking, 'This is just silly.' Everyone keeps saying stop, it's just a joke. But yeah, it’s been amazing."

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 launched on April 24 across PC and consoles, including day-one availability on Xbox Game Pass. In IGN's 9/10 review of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, we called it a "modern RPG classic," adding: "In many ways, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 reminded me of numerous classic and contemporary RPGs I love, but developer Sandfall truly understood why those games are special and made the pieces they borrowed their own."

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has sold 5 million copies in five months, establishing itself as one of the year's biggest hits. It also earned a record-breaking 12 nominations at this year's The Game Awards, competing for Best Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Score and Music, Best Audio, Best Independent Game, Best Debut Independent Game, and Best RPG, alongside the coveted Game of the Year award. Three cast members are also nominated for Best Performance.

If you're convinced to give it a try, be sure to check out our tips on important things to know before starting Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The studio recently released update 1.4.0, introducing key features like Battle Retry alongside numerous quality-of-life improvements, visual enhancements, and bug fixes.

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