Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one of the most winning-est games in the history of the industry, with multiple Game of the Year wins under its belt on top of awards for several other major categories. Though it now has one less win on its mantle, with the Indie Game Awards, an annual awards show that specifically highlights indie games in the industry, stripping Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 of its Game of the Year win over the fact that Sandfall Interactive used GenAI (generative AI) technology in the game's development.
Now, if you're a regular Wccftech reader, then you'd know that Clair Obsucr: Expedition 33 launched with what were seemingly meant to be temporary, AI-generated assets, as we've brought it up in multiple articles. But no one would blame you for not knowing, particularly because the only time Sandfall Interactive admitted to using GenAI was in an interview with Spanish publication El País this past July.
As to how it got through the IGAs' nominations round and, eventually, to initially winning in two categories, both Debut Game and Game of the Year, an FAQ on the IGAs website reads, "When it was submitted for consideration, a representative of Sandfall Interactive agreed that no gen AI was used in the development of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33."
Upon learning that was not the case, with the article from July resurfacing and Sandfall Interactive finally confirming to the IGAs when the show premiered that GenAI technology was used in the making of Clair Obscur, the committee ultimately chose to retract its wins for the two aforementioned categories, since any GenAI use at all goes directly against its rules regarding a game's eligibility.
The award for both categories was then given to the closest runner-up, which, for Debut Game, was Sorry We're Closed, and for Game of the Year was Blue Prince.
Sponsored by publishers like Annapurna and Panic, the Indie Game Awards is an annual awards show with a jury made up of several notable video games industry organizations, including the IGDA (International Game Developers Association) and indie-focused publications and creators.
It may not attract the audience size that The Game Awards does, but it is no less of an authority in the industry with its jury panel, which is partly what makes this whole situation so odd, as Sandfall Interactive seems to have potentially lied directly to notable industry bodies about its use of GenAI in Clair Obscur's development.
It could be that the representative who initially confirmed there was no GenAI use was unaware of it, and Sandfall never realized the confusion until it was too late. That's the most generous reading of what could have happened. The least generous would be that, even if Sandfall realized the issue, the studio chose not to make the IGAs aware and retract its own eligibility, for fear of drawing more attention to the fact that the studio did, in fact, use GenAI technology.
Whether you think GenAI tech should be used in game development or not, the last couple of weeks have proven that it is still a controversial topic among players and game developers alike. Everything that has happened so far with Larian Studios admitting its own GenAI use shows that no matter how universally beloved a studio and its work is, players and developers against GenAI technology will rally and loudly proclaim their disappointment.
That said, the reality of the video game industry seems to be turning more towards more and more studios at least testing out the technology in their development pipelines, if not using it to create final in-game assets. If none of those games continue to qualify for Indie Game Awards, it's unlikely they'll shed any tears about that.
But with how coy Sandfall Interactive has seemingly been with its own GenAI use, it seems like we're still going to have a fair share of developers who fear the backlash that comes with the public knowing you've 'gone to the dark side,' so to speak.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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