Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

The developer behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Sandfall Interactive, has discussed its future directions in a recent interview following the game’s notable success. Initially classified as a AA title, the game achieved remarkable popularity, prompting speculation about the studio’s potential transition to AAA game development.

However, during the interview with Automaton, CTO Tom Guillermin stated that there are currently no plans to expand the team. He remarked, “I think it’s better to have a [small team] for now… The ideal size of the team is… I don’t know, but if I’m going to make a full-price turn-based RPG again, [the current team size] is just as good as it is now.” Thus, despite Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s success, Sandfall Interactive has decided to focus on maintaining its current resources instead of moving towards a larger scale.

Additionally, creative director Guillaume Broche mentioned, “Producing AA games like ours will [become more common because of] bloating costs… Thanks to Unreal Engine 5, the scale of resources needed for production has become clearer, allowing us to create engaging games efficiently with a smaller team.”

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, released in April, has been one of the standout successes of 2025. It garnered instant acclaim and impressive sales, reaching 3.3 million within its first 33 days. Current efforts at Sandfall appear to be centered on enhancing the game’s features rather than working on downloadable content.