Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 developer Sandfall Interactive has revealed whether it plans to expand in the future in the wake of its recent success. Most would describe Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as a AA title, but the game's popularity has led some to think the studio could expand into the realm of AAA titles.
Released back in April, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been one of the biggest surprise hits of 2025 so far. Despite being the first game from Sandfall Interactive, it was met with instant critical acclaim, and impressive sales figures naturally followed as word of mouth spread. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hit the satisfying sales milestone of 3.3 million sales in 33 days, and the numbers have continued to improve in the time since.
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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Studio Has No Plans to Expand Despite Success
However, as reported by TheGamer, a recent interview with Sandfall's chief technical officer and lead programmer Tom Guillermin with Automaton has revealed the studio has no plans to expand at the moment. “I think it's better to have a [small team] for now... The ideal size of the team is... I don't know but if I'm going to make a full-price turn-based RPG again, [the current team size] is just as good as it is now.” So, even with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's success, the plan is to remain steady at the moment at Sandfall Interactive.
Also featured in the interview is studio boss and creative director Guillaume Broche, who believes that “producing AA games likes ours will [become more common because of] bloating costs. Thanks to Unreal Engine 5, the scale of resources needed to scale production have become easier to understand, making it possible to develop interesting games efficiently even with a relatively small number of people. The Alters is a good example.” While Unreal Engine 5 games have had their share of controversies based on a perception of rough performance, there's no doubt that it has changed the barrier to entry when it comes to making quality products on a smaller budget, as shown perfectly by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
With Sandfall Interactive not looking to expand, many fans will be looking forward to whatever the studio has planned next. For now, the developer is seemingly focused on improving Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to be the best it possibly can be, although it appears that no DLC is in the works for the game.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 92 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- April 24, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Sandfall Interactive
- Publisher(s)
- Kepler Interactive
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Genre(s)
- Turn-Based RPG, JRPG, Fantasy
