Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – From Ubisoft Exit to Indie Sensation Selling Millions
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has become a massive success story, selling two million copies in just 12 days and earning rave reviews. But the story behind its creation is just as compelling, showcasing the power of indie development and a director's vision to escape the corporate grind.
The game, developed by Sandfall Interactive, has achieved the highest user score on Metacritic, surpassing even industry giants. Its rapid sales are a testament to its quality and the strong word-of-mouth buzz. In comparison, a major publisher like EA reported lower engagement numbers for a big-budget title, putting Clair Obscur's achievement into perspective.
"Projects like these – with new IPs, original stories, completely original characters – are super hard to push through in a big company," commented Sandfall CEO, highlighting the challenges of innovation within large corporate structures. The game’s director emphasized it would require a couple of decades to built up a name and push though the bureaucracy to even get started.
The director, Guillaume Broche, previously worked at Ubisoft on titles like Ghost Recon Breakpoint and The Division 2. He revealed that he left the company because he was simply "bored" and wanted to pursue his own creative vision. Broche also felt that pitching a new IP with original stories wasn't feasible at Ubisoft due to the extensive approval processes and hierarchical structure.
He conceived the idea for Expedition 33 while still at Ubisoft but lacked the influence to bring it to fruition within the company's framework. He then took a leap of faith and established Sandfall Interactive to bring his vision to life.
The team behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was assembled in an unconventional way. Broche used platforms like Reddit and Soundcloud to find talented individuals. Jennifer Svedberg-Yen, the lead writer, responded to a Reddit post seeking voice actors for a demo. Composer Lorien Testard was discovered via Soundcloud, emphasizing Broche's knack for finding unique talent. With Covid occuring, timing was also on Broche's side.
Despite being made by a smaller team, the game boasts high production values, rivalling those of games developed by much larger studios. This is partly attributed to recent advancements in game development tools. The core team ended up "wearing a lot of different hats", showcasing their dedication to the project.
The success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is also notable considering it is a brand-new intellectual property. It's proving that large teams and huge budgets aren't essential for creating successful games. This could challenge the industry's trend of increasing prices and predatory monetization practices.
Will AAA studios learn from this success story, or will they continue to churn out overpriced and uninspired content? Time will tell. In the meantime, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a shining example of what indie developers can achieve.
Have you played Clair Obscur: Expedition 33? What are your thoughts on the game's success and the future of indie development? Share your opinions in the comments below!
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Is Clair Obscur Expedition 33 a JRPG?
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's brilliant parry system solves a classic JRPG problem: I can win any match-up on skill alone, so being under-leveled is just a state of mind. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the sort of RPG that's not afraid to throw some hulking behemoths your party's way from early on.
How many copies of Expedition 33 have been sold?
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has crossed two million copies sold.
Is Expedition 33 worth it?
It's a stunning game that only gets more and more stunning the further you get. It's an easy recommend to anyone, even people like me who have previously been allergic to turn-based combat. You may have to get used to it, but push past and learn the systems to experience once of the best games you may play in years.
Is Expedition 33 a JRPG?
Games almost never pull this off, but Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 managed a JRPG miracle: hitting an even higher Steam player peak weeks after launch.
