SweetieGames

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won a record breaking 9 awards including the coveted Game of the Year at The Game Awards late last year. The winning streak has continued across the Golden Joystick Awards, the BAFTA Game Awards and more in 2026. It’s fairly obvious that critics are raving for Clair Obscur, but it’s not always been smooth sailing with fans or even other awarding bodies.

Clair Obscur‘s massive sweep wasn’t surprising to anybody; I feel like even before the shortlist was announced, everyone was certain that the game was going to take home some major awards. The debut game from Indie developer Sandfall Interactive, Clair Obscur is a turn-based RPG that boasts gorgeous artwork, compelling dark fantasy setting and a compelling plot. As a huge fan of turn-based games, it did warm my heart to see another turn-based RPG take home multiple Game of the Year awards after Baldur’s Gate 3 did at The Game Awards in 2023. However, it was clear to me that many people felt that their favourite games from the past year were snubbed unfairly.

I understand that some people wanted to see their favourite games from this past year win big, and Clair Obscur was up against some tough competition; Hollow Knight: Silksong was highly anticipated and dropped this year to rave reviews, as well as Hades II, Death Stranding 2 and Dispatch. It’s been a huge year for AAA games and indies alike, and many people wanted to see the games they enjoyed get the recognition they deserve. One of the categories that Clair Obscur didn’t win at The Game Awards was actually Player’s Voice, a category completely decided by fans. It may be one of those moments where critics and the average gamer don’t see eye-to-eye.

And it’s not only gamers who were unhappy. After generative AI assets were found in Clair Obscur, the Indie Game Awards retracted the awards given to the title, defining their stance on AI usage. It was extremely disappointing at first to learn of Sandfall’s usage of AI after winning so many awards, especially after many of the awards weren’t redacted after the fact. However, something that gave me hope was the fact that Clair Obscur’s director, Guillaume Broche, stated that all future games from the team will be human made.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a game winning so many awards, especially after learning the lesson of not using generative AI. If anything, it makes me feel hopeful for the future of gaming that a narrative driven, turn-based RPG created by an indie studio can secure so many huge awards. At the end of the day, games being nominated for big awards is recognition of itself, and as long as you enjoy playing them, they’ll continue to be made. Awards don’t mean everything! I’d love to see such strong games continue to release this year.