Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s Game of the Year win at The Game Awards 2025 quickly became more than a standard awards-night headline.
On one hand, the victory was treated like a cultural moment—so much so that France’s president publicly congratulated Sandfall Interactive and framed the GOTY win as a rare “historic first” for French game development, which only amplified the sense that this was a breakout national success story.
How Did Expedition 33 Become a Modern “Cinderella Story”?
At the same time, fans kept returning to how unlikely Expedition 33’s development story was, as interviews and community discussions point to a small core team that found collaborators online and leaned on self-learning instead of a conventional veteran-led AAA pipeline.
Much of the discussion centered on the “modern Cinderella story” angle, with first-time contributors stepping into significant roles and the project exceeding expectations.
Why Did the Generative AI Debate Resurface Right After the Awards?
Despite the wave of praise, the industry’s generative-AI controversy resurfaced after Larian Studios head Swen Vincke confirmed the studio is experimenting with gen-AI, while maintaining that no AI-generated content will appear in the final Divinity game.
The statement did not ease tensions and instead sparked renewed backlash from fans.
Many remain strongly opposed to generative AI in creative workflows, citing ethical concerns, plagiarism risks, and fears that early-stage AI use could bleed into finished content.
How Did Clair Obscur Get Pulled Into the AI Backlash?
As criticism of Larian escalated, Expedition 33 was pulled into the discussion when an older interview resurfaced in which producer François Meurisse acknowledged limited AI use, reviving debate over claims that the game initially included AI-generated art that was later removed.
Despite Guillaume Broche being described as rejecting generative AI in creative spaces, the renewed scrutiny came at a crucial moment (right after the game’s record-setting awards haul), allowing critics to frame the GOTY sweep as controversial instead of celebratory.
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