2025 Game of the Year winner Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has come under fire for its use of generative AI tools during the development process. Here’s the full rundown on what exactly was done, how devs addressed it, and why various awards were rescinded.
Expedition 33 was a critical hit without compare in 2025. The turn-based RPG was a frontrunner for Game of the Year conversations since its release on April 24, but that award alone only scratches the surface of its success.
Sandfall Interactive took out nine trophies at this year’s Game Awards, the most of any game in the show’s history – taking the crown from 2020’s The Last of Us Part 2, which won seven awards at the time.
However, the week following its biggest spotlight didn’t only bring praise. Expedition 33 has been the focal point of controversy as players uncovered earlier developer comments pertaining to the use of generative AI tools. Since the revelation, there’s been backlash across social media, and awards from other events have been taken back.
If you’re confused by how we got here, fear not. Here’s the full timeline of events and a comprehensive breakdown of the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 AI controversy.
How did Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 use AI?
Sandfall Interactive, developers of Expedition 33, did indeed use generative AI during the creation of the game. Producer François Meurisse confirmed as much in a July 19, 2025 story with Spanish outlet El PaÍs.
“We use some AI, but not much,” the developer said. At the time, this comment was a non-starter. Controversy only began to mount in December after primarily gaining traction on X.
So what exactly was AI used for during the game’s development? The generation of placeholder assets, according to the team.
“When the first Al tools became available in 2022, some members of the team briefly experimented with them to generate temporary placeholder textures,” a statement from Sandfall Interactive clarified.
Some of these placeholder assets found their way into the game’s initial release. Back when Expedition 33 launched in April, a few players noticed some quirky textures. In particular, some newspaper trimmings plastered over walls stood out.
“Within five days,” according to the devs, an update was deployed across all platforms to replace these assets “with the correct textures that had always been intended for release.” By their account, these placeholders were “missed during the Quality Assurance process.”
So the long and short of it, AI was used to generate various placeholder textures in Expedition 33. The vast majority were replaced with human-made assets prior to release. Upon realizing some were overlooked when the game hit store shelves, developers pushed an update and replaced them within the week.
Awards revoked amid Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 AI controversy
While Expedition 33 became the most successful release in Game Awards history, there are obviously still plenty of other events and outlets handing out their own awards. One such example is The Indie Game Awards, an indie-focused project that started in 2024.
As part of the 2025 awards, revealed on December 18, Expedition 33 initially won both Best Debut Game and Game of the Year. Three days later, however, both awards were rescinded.
“The Indie Game Awards have a hard stance on the use of gen AI,” a statement reads. “When [Expedition 33] was submitted for consideration, a representative of Sandfall Interactive agreed that no gen AI was used in the development.”
As the aforementioned AI comments from July began to circulate once again, The Indie Game Awards contacted Sandfall Interactive, who then confirmed the use of generative AI, as outlined above. Therefore, the game was ultimately disqualified.
“While the assets in question were patched out, and it is a wonderful game, it does go against the regulations we have in place.”
The awards were handed down to the next highest-ranked game in each category. ‘Sorry We’re Closed’ won Debut Game, while ‘Blue Prince’ won Game of the Year.
