Despite Massive Success, Clair Obscur Developers Aim to Keep Team Compact

The game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 isn't just an impressive GOTY candidate, it’s also a huge commercial success. Developer the development team and publisher Kepler Interactive announced that the game surpassed five million copies in sales, and that’s in spite of it being a day-one release through the Game Pass service.

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Image: Sandfall Interactive/The Publisher

The game's performance was a shock to the developers. I was convinced that we'd create an enjoyable experience that would meet reasonable sales results,” a key executive stated.

A technical director remarked the game's review aggregate, which currently sits at 93, came as perhaps the most surprising moment for everyone compared to our early predictions and the final result of the field was. When the score released all staff members was screaming and jumping. It was really frantic.”

This triumph resulted in the studio creating new free content for players including novel settings, enemies, along with challenging bosses, which they said would be out within the “upcoming month[s]”.

That said, while the game is growing, fans shouldn't anticipate the team will expand. Our team includes an excellent group under clear creative leadership possessing strong ideas for our work plus upcoming innovations. Our goal is to maintain the small-team dynamic that led to our success and perhaps create major titles sequentially,” the executive said.

The size of Sandfall generated plenty of debate following launch. A few well-known creators, including renowned designers, considered Sandfall’s team as a perfect example for a studio. Despite being relatively lean next to major studios, one glance at the game's credits indicates many individuals worked on it; Sandfall contracted a Korean team to work on gameplay animations, for example.

“We plan to recruit a little more certainly when facing a future production surge down the line,” the executive said. “Yet I picture rather a creative atelier with a small number of really talented people that create collective masterpieces.” It was stated that the studio's philosophy as a studio “aims to keep the strengths that made this achievement possible from the start.”

While it may be not the right time to disclose concrete plans regarding upcoming titles — believe me, I tried to get them to — the developers understand what’s at its core. “Strategic combat, forms the foundation of our creations,” they remarked. “The timing isn't right to announce what will interest us, however, it's crucial to adhere to our creative core through compelling worlds and the interesting gameplay that inspires the team.”

The developer noted how this game began with their director developing his passion title. We aspire that philosophy we can continue as well for future productions.”

Levi Hicks
Levi Hicks

Elara is a seasoned expat and career coach who shares strategies for thriving in diverse cultures and achieving professional success worldwide.

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