Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is big. It’s sold more than five million copies so far, and it dominated the Golden Joystick awards, matching the record set in 2023 by Baldur’s Gate 3 (which was also big). But in a post-Golden Joysticks interview with Radio Times Gaming (via GamesRadar), creative director Guillaume Broche said he didn’t think big was ever really in the cards.
“I think people don’t really realize that, now it’s become big, but before the launch, it was not supposed to be big,” Broche said. “I think we all felt the same thing. It’s going to be cool. It’s not going to be big, it’s going to be cool. And what’s happening today is like, as we say, nobody really understands what’s happening.”
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Ben Starr, who portrayed Verso and “additional voices” in Clair Obscur, echoed Broche’s comments, predicting that people will forget that it’s a “small game.”
“It was never intended to be as big as it is,” Starr said. “It’s turned into this kind of cultural moment, phenomenon, but that’s just because the game is very honest, I think. And a lot of people have bought into that.”
After a brief interruption to claim their trophies, Starr continued, “I don’t think anyone expected this because it’s a small game.”
“No one expected those numbers, and we’ve all just been messaging each other thinking, this is, well, this is just silly. This is just silly now. Everyone just stop. It’s a silly joke. But yeah, it’s been very cool.”
Maybe it was a small game, but it’s certainly not anymore. And the expectation is that it’s going to get even bigger very soon: After cleaning house at the Golden Joysticks, it’s set to do the same at The Game Awards 2025, where it’s become the most-nominated game in the show’s history. We’ll find out how it fares there on December 11.
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