Contrary to popular belief, the best marketing strategy can sometimes be just letting people play your game for free. It may sound counterproductive, but subscription services like Xbox Game Pass have proved this strategy to be successful over and over again. Spending money on an unfamiliar IP seems to be way less likely than clicking the download button on a game that’s already included in a subscription anyway; it just eliminates a lot of the mental gymnastics that usually come with spending money.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one of the best examples of how much accessibility changes the rules. Creative director Guillaume Broche has said that Game Pass significantly lowered the barrier for people who might otherwise hesitate to try a turn-based RPG, and Microsoft later confirmed that Expedition 33 became its biggest new third-party Game Pass launch of 2025. However, now that Game Pass has already done its job, those who are now hooked on the game may be perfectly willing to buy it after it leaves the service.
Game Pass Has Done Its Job and It Has Done It Well
Arguably, Game Pass was most valuable to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 when people still had no idea whether they would like it or not. Like every new game, this one had some convincing to do, especially since its turn-based combat was already acting as a barrier for players who prefer RPGs with real-time combat. Game Pass quickly removed that barrier by making Expedition 33 considerably easier to try without much thought. It was like one of those old habit-building tricks: if you don’t drink enough water during the day, simply scatter bottles around your house where you’ll see them often. Sooner or later, the constant exposure will make you shrug and take a sip every time you look at one.
Of course, this marketing strategy only works if what you are selling is actually valuable, and Expedition 33 has done a pretty good job of making its case. Sandfall Interactive announced that the RPG had sold 5 million copies only five months after its release, which means that its success was not even limited to Game Pass subscribers. The game also received widespread recognition at major award shows, which gave people who had never heard of it before plenty of reasons to get familiar with it. Game Pass may have been extremely important when Sandfall still had to convince people the game was good, but those days are over; Expedition 33‘s reputation is now capable of carrying the game on its own.
Game Pass availability can vary by region and subscription tier.
Leaving Game Pass Could Be Clair Obscur’s Next Big Test
-
Source: Sandfall Interactive -
Source: Sandfall Interactive -
Image via Sandfall Interactive
Ironically, giving people free stuff is often exactly what converts them into buyers. Anyone who started playing Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 through their subscription and still has unfinished business after it disappears will suddenly have two very straightforward options: either stop playing or buy the game. After Game Pass made people’s first interaction with the title so easy, now players have something much more valuable than a short trailer to rely on when it comes to making their decision — their own experience. While buying an unfamiliar IP is a gamble, purchasing a game you know is good is a completely different story.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
This also highlights what Expedition 33 achieved beyond generating a large number of players at launch. It actually helped the game reach people who were never necessarily fans of the genre in the first place. Although it might have been easy to convince turn-based RPG fans to give it a shot, the same cannot be said for everyone else; if it hadn’t been for the Game Pass strategy, Expedition 33 probably wouldn’t have reached many of the people who are now hooked on the game. Additionally, now that the title has already won over some real-time combat lovers, leaving Game Pass would not suddenly erase the interest it managed to build among them.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Played the Long Game
It would make sense that getting millions of people at launch means considerably less if most of them turn around and leave after the first 30 days. Player retention has become one of the most important metrics across the gaming industry, as long-term value naturally matters more in a world where more than 20,000 games launch on Steam alone in a single year.
Expedition 33 had the benefit of Game Pass, which made the initial discovery of the RPG game incredibly easy, but getting people to download the game was only the first half of the job; the more important part was giving them enough reason to remain invested once the novelty wore off. In that sense, Expedition 33 is a good reminder that making a great game and selling it are two very different jobs. Additionally, making less money at the beginning is exactly what might bring them a fortune later, ultimately proving that sometimes less really is more. For Clair Obscur, at least, things might have fallen into place pretty nicely.
- Released
-
April 24, 2025
- ESRB
-
Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
-
Sandfall Interactive
- Publisher(s)
-
Kepler Interactive
