The title won Game of the Year at The Game Awards, marking a historic first for a French video game. In a public statement on social media, Macron described the award as a landmark moment, expressing pride both in Montpellier, where the studio is based, and in France as a whole. This was not the first time Macron publicly commented on the game. Earlier in the year, he had also congratulated Sandfall Interactive on its commercial success, after sales surpassed one million copies.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33: How a Small Studio Created a Breakout Hit

What began as a personal project by Guillaume Broche evolved into one of the most successful video games of recent years. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won nine out of the twelve awards for which it was nominated at this year’s Game Awards and has sold more than two million copies worldwide.

The nine awards exceeded even Broche’s expectations. He originally began developing the game while still working at Ubisoft, initially as a demo titled We Lost, before it grew into a fully fledged narrative role-playing game with a distinct identity.

Broche’s willingness to take risks, combined with a handful of posts on Reddit, laid the foundation for the world of Lumiere and the game’s story. “I worked about eight hours a day after my regular job and barely slept for years,” he has said, describing the demanding period during development.

Gradually, a small team formed around the project. Tom Guillermin joined as a programmer, Françoise Meuris took on production duties, and other key members were recruited almost by chance through social media. Lead composer Lorien Testard was discovered on SoundCloud, at a time when he was working as a guitar teacher and had never composed music professionally. “We shared the same philosophy about games,” Testard has said, noting that he drew inspiration from titles he admired.

Similarly, Broche discovered art director Nicolas Maxson-Francombe through personal works posted on ArtStation, an online platform for artists. According to head writer Jennifer Svedberg-Yen, what united the team was each member’s deep commitment to their craft.

Svedberg-Yen herself came from a background in finance. After seeing Broche’s Reddit post, she auditioned not only to write the script but also to voice original characters such as Maelle and Lune. Although she had loved video games and literature since childhood, she had never imagined pursuing them professionally.

With the creation of Sandfall Interactive, We Lost was relaunched as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. It was during this phase that the game’s world and its distinctive Belle Époque–inspired setting took shape—an aesthetic choice the team believes would have been difficult to preserve had they aimed for a much broader audience.

Broche has joked that the game is not “French propaganda,” though its French identity is unmistakable—from language and cultural references to its overall aesthetic. As he has explained, the goal was to create a world that felt sincere and authentic.

Particular emphasis was placed on storytelling, which serves as the core of the experience. Svedberg-Yen has said the narrative is rooted in real emotions and lived experiences. A pivotal moment came from a personal conversation between Broche and his mother, when she told him that the worst thing that could happen to her would be losing her children. Themes of loss and trauma run throughout the game, and the writer admits the process was often emotionally challenging.

The game’s visual style draws inspiration from clair obscur (chiaroscuro)—the artistic interplay of light and shadow.

Despite industry concerns over the growing role of artificial intelligence in videogame development, the Sandfall team remains optimistic. Testard composed the game’s orchestral score based on the narrative rhythm and the principles of clair obscur, while advances in technology—such as Unreal Engine 4 and 5—helped bring the team’s vision to life. Broche has described the game’s approximately $10 million budget as “low by AA standards.”

The success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 surpassed all expectations for Sandfall Interactive. Beyond official recognition, the game resonated deeply with players. As Svedberg-Yen notes, many reached out to say the story helped them process personal loss and inspired them to return to their own creative pursuits.