Why Expedition 33 Studio is Not Tempted to Expand

Sandfall Interactive is not interested in expanding after Clair Obscur: Expedition 33‘s success because its leadership believes “it’s good to have limitations.” The French studio stands as the kind of success story indie devs dream about, with its first title becoming one of 2025’s most-revered and most-awarded games just five years after the company’s founding. Despite now having all the money and prestige that comes with such a meteoric rise to fame, the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 developer says it doesn’t need or want to scale up.

While the game has faced some controversy leading up to awards season, Sandfall’s debut title has been an undeniable hit. At this year’s Game Awards, Expedition 33 took home nine wins out of its record-breaking 12 nominations, and even French President Emmanuel Macron praised the studio for its historic accomplishments. The laundry list of accolades could give Sandfall more than enough means and motivation to grow into a bigger beast, but its leaders don’t want to leave its indie roots behind so quickly.

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 said the follow-up to Expedition 33 would not be a larger-scale production, stating, “it’s good to have limitations.” Lead Programmer Tom Guillermin had expressed a similar sentiment in a previous interview, saying the Clair Obscur studio has no plans to expand because it already has the “ideal” size to make the games it wants to make. Now, Broche offers more insight into that belief by expressing how these limits help the team be the best versions of themselves, as it means everyone, including upper leadership, is hands-on and doing things for themselves, not a distant corporate goal.

While there is a bit of contention around whether Expedition 33 counts as an “indie” title, thanks to its sizable budget and major publisher, its core development team consists of just around 30 people, many without game-making experience. According to Lead Game Designer Michel Nohra, having so many young and relatively inexperienced people on staff led to “fresh ideas,” and that creativity was likely a big part of why the game became as popular as it did. Broche added that there are practical benefits to being a small operation as well. Leadership at Sandfall loves making games more than it loves management, so not having to spend time overseeing a larger team helps everyone focus on the game itself.

Image via Sandfall Interactive

Sandfall Interactive is not the only industry voice singing the praises of limitation-bred creativity. Legendary developer and Doom creator John Romero said titles like Expedition 33 could be the downfall of AAA gaming, claiming many of the best games of the past few years have come from smaller indie studios. Many have pointed out before how indie devs aren’t constrained by investor pressures or corporate targets, which may encourage taking creative risks that, if they resonate with players, could help a game stand out from the crowd. It seems the team over at Sandfall recognizes this edge full well, and it’s that freedom that makes leadership uninterested in growing at the moment, even if that approach introduces some limitations.

Image via Sandfall Interactive

Looking back on those limits and the creativity that came from them, Broche says the “past five years were 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 smaller working environment that led to their breakout hit. Broche has already confirmed 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.

Released

April 24, 2025

ESRB

Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence

Developer(s)

Sandfall Interactive

Publisher(s)

Kepler Interactive