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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Dominates The Game Awards
Throughout 2025, one game has consistently dominated the topic of conversation, and it’s Sandfall Interactive’s debut title, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. If you had mentioned it back in January, most people would have tilted their heads in confusion. It wasn’t a major game from a major studio, it launched at a budget price, and its marketing push only truly ignited after release.
Yet now, with The Game Awards announcing their nominees, one thing is clear: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the frontrunner not only for Game of the Year, but for most categories it appears in. It is the most-nominated game in the award show’s 11-year history, and it’s easy to see why it’s favoured across the board.
To be clear, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 isn’t a radical reinvention of the JRPG formula, despite what some outlets have claimed. It’s a modernised take on classics like The Legend of Dragoon and Lost Odyssey, polishing familiar systems to a mirror shine. Quick-time events in combat aren’t new, and its Picto system draws inspiration from Final Fantasy IX, but the way its systems blend — paired with a distinctly sombre tone — helps it stand apart from a genre often defined by familiar JRPG and anime tropes.
Critics responded quickly. On Metacritic, it sits at 92, the second-highest-reviewed game of the year behind Hades II, while its user score is an astonishing 9.6 from more than 22,000 reviews. We weren’t quite as glowing — as we noted in our review — but there’s no denying that Clair Obscur resonates with audiences in a way few JRPGs manage. Personally, it may not rank alongside my all-time favourites like Persona 4 or Skies of Arcadia, nor would I call it a genre-defining masterpiece, but it is a superb JRPG clearly crafted by a team that loves the genre.
Why Clair Obscur Is The Most Important Game of 2025
To most observers, its nominations — ten in total — feel almost inevitable. It won’t sweep every category (Art Direction and Audio Design still feel like stretches), but the fact that it could has already stirred debate. What many still fail to recognise is that The Game Awards often crown not only the best game of the year, but the game that most meaningfully represents what the industry needs.
Take last year’s Astro Bot. Was it objectively better than Metaphor: ReFantazio or Balatro? Probably not. But it was immaculately polished, joyous, and unconcerned with industry trends, and that purity made it stand out. It was the right game at the right time, reminding a cynical industry that games can be simple, joyful, and unburdened.
Likewise, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the most important game of 2025 not solely because of what it achieves, but because of what it refuses to do. It isn’t a bloated, risk-averse AAA production. It launched at a fair, accessible price. It avoided unnecessary DLC bloat. It revitalised a genre that even giants like Square Enix have drifted away from. And crucially, it didn’t lean on AI-driven shortcuts and insist that players should accept it.
Clair Obscur Doesn’t Follow The Industry’s Trends
If Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 wins GOTY, its victory will underscore a message the industry desperately needs to hear: that creativity and modest ambition matter. Too many AAA studios continue to cling to exhausted franchises, chasing monetisation strategies rather than meaningful innovation.
Part of this trend stems from the industry’s often prioritising profitability over artistic fulfilment. In many ways, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 stands as the antithesis of this approach. A win for Sandfall Interactive would be a reminder that sustainable, well-scoped, passionately crafted games can thrive — and should be celebrated.
Even if your personal pick is Hollow Knight: Silksong, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, or Hades II, it’s difficult to deny that Clair Obscur most accurately reflects the direction the industry ought to be moving in. It earned its acclaim organically, not through aggressive publisher-driven hype. It sold over 3 million copies in its first month, and recently surpassed 5 million units — success built on genuine enthusiasm, not messaging.
Whether or not you agree with that sentiment, it doesn’t change the reality: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the favourite to beat. The game itself may not be an industry-shaking masterpiece, but the impact of its victory very well could be. If it wins, it will cement the game not only as one of 2025’s biggest surprises, but as one of its most meaningful works.
