Is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the breakout RPG from Sandfall Interactive, even an indie game? That’s a debate that’s going to keep on raging, we’re afraid.
But it’s not the reason the release has been disqualified from the Indie Game Awards. Strap yourself in for this one, because we suspect there’s going to be a lot of heated discussion in the comments section below.
So, the game has actually seen two awards it had previously received revoked due to the title’s use of – you guessed it – generative AI. That means it’s been stripped of its victories for Best Debut and Game of the Year.
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The French studio had previously admitted using the technology in an interview that resurfaced recently, in the aftermath of the social media sh*tstorm surrounding Divinity dev Larian.
“We used some AI, but not much,” Sandfall Interactive’s François Meurisse told a Spanish website earlier in the year.
“The key is that we were very clear about what we wanted to do and where to invest our efforts. And, of course, technology has allowed us to do things that were unthinkable not long ago.”
A few background textures suspected of being made with generative AI were promptly patched out of the release around launch, and that was the end of that.
But the heightened tension surrounding the technology, and the resurfacing of this topic, has resulted in the disqualification of the game.
In a statement, the Indie Game Awards committee said:
“The Indie Game Awards have a hard stance on the use of gen AI throughout the nomination process and during the ceremony itself. 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. In light of Sandfall Interactive confirming the use of gen AI art in production on the day of the Indie Game Awards 2025 premiere, this does disqualify Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from its nomination.”
Best Debut will now be handed to Sorry We’re Closed, while Blue Prince will take home the Game of the Year gong.
Amusingly, this kickstarted a fresh round of speculation that the latter had been developed using generative AI too, forcing its publisher Raw Fury to come out and comment.
“There is no AI used in Blue Prince. The game was built and crafted with full human instinct by Tonda Ros and his team. It is the result of eight years of development, fuelled by imagination and creativity, and we are extremely proud of what Tonda has achieved.”
Folks, if you’re already tired of this increasingly tedious topic, then know this is just the tip of the iceberg right now.