By Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 studio Sandfall Interactive has a genuine opportunity at winning Game of the Year in 2025, and yet it is not resting on its achievements, committing to develop a new title entirely liberated from genre norms.
In a conversation with the Washington Post (paywalled), creative director Guillaume Broche did not dismiss the idea of creating another RPG similar to Clair Obscur, but he emphasized that Sandfall is not prepared to be limited to just one genre, art style, gameplay mechanics, or anything else.
“We don’t wish to be restricted by narrative, art style, or gameplay in whatever we pursue next, so nothing to announce,” Broche stated. “Our aim is for it to feel genuine and crafted with care.”
Of course, it’s far too soon to begin discussing what’s ahead for Sandfall, especially with Clair Obscur having just debuted a few months back. It’s also essential to recognize that Sandfall is a fairly small studio with roughly 30 staff members, so the pace of project completion will naturally be constrained in comparison to AAA companies.
Additionally, it was recently disclosed that Clair Obscur is receiving a completely new area, additional late-game bosses, and more as a gesture of gratitude for reaching five million copies sold, which has also kept them quite engaged.
Even so, I find it encouraging to learn that Broche and his team are not shutting themselves off to possibilities just yet. I would surmise that developers are at their most innovative when they’re not confined by a preset rulebook, and particularly for an independent studio like Sandfall, that’s how we players are gifted with truly exceptional offerings, such as Clair Obscur!