Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was initially celebrated as one of 2025’s biggest success stories, earning widespread critical acclaim and sweeping awards across multiple ceremonies, including winning Game of the Year and Debut Game at the Indie Game Awards.
However, that recognition was later rescinded after the awards’ organizing body, Indie Game Awards, announced that the game no longer met its eligibility criteria due to the use of generative AI during development.
According to the awards committee, when the game was submitted for consideration, representatives from Sandfall Interactive had confirmed that no generative AI had been used.
That declaration came into question after public confirmations surfaced stating that AI tools had, in fact, been briefly employed earlier in production, prompting the committee to retroactively disqualify the title despite its wins already being announced.
What Kind of AI Use Led to the Disqualification?
The controversy centered on limited use of generative AI for placeholder visuals, particularly background textures resembling newspaper clippings that players noticed shortly after launch.
These assets were not intended to be part of the final release and were removed in a patch within days, replaced by fully handcrafted artwork.
Sandfall Interactive previously addressed the issue in interviews earlier in the year, explaining that experimental AI tools were briefly used to generate temporary textures during development when the team was testing workflows, and that none of those materials were meant to ship in the finished game.
According to production director François Meurisse, AI played a very minor role in development, with the studio maintaining a predominantly human-led creative process and using the technology solely as a short-term aid.
Why Did the Indie Game Awards Still Revoke the Wins?
Despite those clarifications, the Indie Game Awards maintained that their rules prohibit any use of generative AI at any stage of development, regardless of whether the assets remain in the final build.
The committee further stated that the issue was not only the presence of placeholder AI assets, but also the inconsistency between what was disclosed during the nomination process and what was later confirmed publicly.
As a result, the awards were formally withdrawn and reassigned, with Game of the Year going to Blue Prince and Debut Game awarded to Sorry We’re Closed.
The ruling triggered significant backlash on social media, with players and developers split between viewing it as out of touch with modern development practices and defending it as an essential step toward transparency in awards.
The controversy no longer concerns just one ruling, but reflects a wider industry debate over generative AI.
Supporters of Sandfall argue that the final version of Clair Obscur contains no AI-generated content and that the game’s artistic merit should not be overshadowed by early production experiments that were already publicly acknowledged and corrected.
Critics counter that award bodies must enforce clear boundaries if they want rules to hold weight, especially as AI tools become increasingly common across the industry.
Regardless of opinion, Clair Obscur’s removal from the Indie Game Awards highlights growing tension between creative intent, disclosure standards, and how development practices are defined.
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