Sandfall Interactive has confirmed that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is only the beginning, with the acclaimed RPG set to grow into a full franchise.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has quickly become one of 2025’s most surprising breakout hits, and now fans can look forward to much more. Sandfall Interactive’s director, Guillaume Broche, has confirmed that the studio always envisioned Clair Obscur as a larger franchise rather than a one-off adventure, meaning Expedition 33 is only the first chapter in a broader universe.
A Breakout Success Story
Launched in April 2025, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 exceeded expectations across the board. The title sold over 3.3 million copies within just 33 days, an impressive feat for a new IP from a relatively small studio. Critical praise highlighted the game’s rich atmosphere, character-driven narrative, and innovative combat design. Many industry analysts have since described it as proof that mid-sized studios can still compete with big-budget AAA productions when armed with a strong creative vision.
The success wasn’t just a matter of sales, though. Xbox Game Pass played a pivotal role in ensuring visibility, giving the game a massive audience from day one. Broche acknowledged that the platform was crucial for establishing the brand: “For me the biggest draw of Game Pass, except for the money we got up front, is the visibility. Nobody knew us as a new IP, so it was about putting the game in front of as many eyes as possible.” According to him, many who discovered the title on Game Pass later purchased it outright, fueling momentum well beyond its launch window.
Quality Over Quantity
Broche also opened up about difficult development decisions that ultimately benefited the final product. Several planned dungeons were cut during production, not due to time or budget limits, but because they simply weren’t up to standard. “We had a few more dungeons in the game, but they were just boring, so we removed them,” he admitted. The goal was never to stretch the runtime artificially, but to ensure that every encounter felt purposeful. “Bigger is not necessarily better,” Broche stressed, underlining Sandfall’s commitment to delivering quality over sheer volume.
Pricing decisions reflected the same philosophy. At $50, Expedition 33 surprised players who expected a higher premium price point. Broche explained that the choice was deliberate, signaling the identity of the studio as much as the game itself. Despite some initial skepticism that a lower price might mean a lesser experience, player reception and sales figures proved otherwise.
Though Sandfall Interactive is keeping its next steps under wraps, the confirmation that Clair Obscur will live on as a franchise marks a significant moment. With its dark, painterly world and distinctive gameplay, the series has carved out a unique space in the RPG landscape. Fans can now look forward to more stories, more experimentation, and possibly an even larger universe as the studio expands on its vision. For now, Expedition 33 stands as both a critical and commercial triumph – one that has set the stage for Sandfall Interactive to transform Clair Obscur into one of gaming’s most exciting new franchises.