Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Sweeps The Game Awards 2025 with Historic Nine-Win Performance
Record-Breaking Night for Independent RPG
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has won the Game of the Year award at The Game Awards 2025, marking an extraordinary achievement for the independent French RPG. Sandfall’s haul of nine awards also means the game has set a new record for the most awards won at The Game Awards, a record previously set by The Last of Us Part II, which won seven awards at the 2020 show.
Unprecedented Nominations and Victories
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads the way with 12 nominations, making it the most nominated game in the show’s 12-year history. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won all but two of the eleven categories it was nominated in. Expedition 33 also received awards for Best Narrative, Best Game Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Score and Music, Best Independent Game, Best Debut Indie Game, Best Performance (Jennifer English), and Best RPG.
A Celebration of Independent Game Development
The developers at Sandfall Interactive expressed their gratitude through an acceptance speech that resonated with the indie game community. “We wanted to make a small game, but with big ambition” says Sandfall co-founder François Meurisse in his acceptance speech, “We dedicate this award to all the indie teams around the world – to those who put creativity first, to those who push forward with limited resources, also, to those who never make it to the release”.
Free DLC Released to Thank Fans
In celebration of their success, the developers released free downloadable content for the game. Developer Sandfall Interactive is so happy, in fact, that it just decided to do the developer equivalent of blowing a kiss: The “Thank you” update adds a bunch of content to the game, including a new endgame zone and quality-of-life improvements.
Significance for the Gaming Industry
The triumph of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 represents a significant moment for independent game development. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the big winner, taking home Game of the Year and nine awards in total. The last big Game Awards sweep was Baldur’s Gate 3 in 2023, but it only managed to take home six awards that year. This victory demonstrates that smaller studios with creative vision can compete with major publishers, offering hope and inspiration to independent developers worldwide whilst proving that innovation and artistic ambition can triumph in an industry often dominated by massive budgets.