🔗 Share this article

The game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 isn't just a strong GOTY candidate, it’s also a massive financial hit. Developer the development team along with publisher Kepler Interactive revealed that the game topped 5 million units in sales, this is even with it being a day-one release through the Game Pass service.

Its success was an unexpected turn to Sandfall. I was convinced that we would have an enjoyable experience that would meet some average commercial success,” a key executive explained.

Another leading developer remarked this title's review aggregate, now standing at 93, came as the most surprising moment to the team versus “our initial expectations and the final result of the field was. When the score released all staff members was screaming and jumping. The energy was electric.”

That success has led to the studio creating a free update for players with a new environment, adversaries, plus epic encounters, as announced is coming within the “upcoming month[s]”.

Nevertheless, as the title expands, it's unlikely the studio to grow. “We have an excellent group under clear creative leadership possessing strong ideas for this game and future concepts. We intend to preserve the small-team dynamic that made this possible and perhaps create one big game after another,” the executive added.

The size of Sandfall drummed up a storm of discussion following launch. Some developers, such as the famed director, considered the development group as a perfect example for game development. While Sandfall was and is indeed a small team versus large developers, a quick look at the title's staff list indicates numerous contributors participated; Sandfall hired a team in Korea for animation work, as an instance.

“We will hire a little more definitely when facing a future production surge in upcoming years,” they said. “However, I envision more of a workshop of a few highly skilled individuals capable of producing collective masterpieces.” He noted that the studio's philosophy as a studio “focuses on preserving the strengths that made this achievement possible in the first place.”

While it may be premature for the studio to say specifically about future projects — believe me, efforts were made — the developers understand their fundamental principles. “Turn-based gameplay, is integral to our identity of our creations,” they remarked. “It's still premature to announce what will interest us, however, it's crucial to stay true to our studio's essence through compelling worlds and engaging mechanics that excites us.”

The lead programmer mentioned that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 started with their director developing his passion title. And hopefully this approach we can continue with upcoming games.”