Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been one of 2025’s biggest success stories, and now, developers are turning their attention to what comes next. They already have “great ideas” and plan to keep the team small to execute on them.
While there was minimal fanfare ahead of the game’s launch, Clair Obscur nonetheless erupted out of the gate. The turn-based RPG quickly became a smash hit both critically and commercially, making it one of the biggest games of the year.
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Going on to sell millions of copies in a matter of weeks, the more new details come to light, the more people are checking it out. For instance, learning it was all put together by a relatively small team of around 30 devs only won more favor across social media. Then you get to the fact some voice actors were debuting on the project and the composer was plucked from Soundcloud.
It’s been a gargantuan craze, but naturally, the studio behind it, Sandfall Interactive, is looking to the horizon. What comes next? Well, we don’t quite know for sure. But they already have some “great ideas” and plan to avoid over-expanding the team anytime soon.
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Sandfall InteractiveClair Obscur: Expedition 33 has become one of the year’s biggest hits.
Clair Obscur devs have next game planned & are avoiding huge blunder
On the back of a massive financial win like this, it’d be safe to expect a bit of growth from the French studio as they barrel towards their sophomore project. That won’t exactly be the case with Sandfall though, as the higher-ups are acutely aware of the pains that come with rapid expansion.
“For now, our vision would be to stick to a close team working in the same city with less than 50 people on board,” Sandfall’s COO François Meurisse told GamesIndustry.biz.
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“Focusing on one project after another, and keeping this agility, and this creative strength, and smartness of a small group of passionate people wanting to do something big.”
After all, smaller teams have created plenty of the industry’s best and biggest games, as Meurisse explained. “The team that made Ocarina of Time or Half-Life 2, I think those were max 60 or 70 people, and that kind of size allows for good decisions and great creativity.”
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To his point, when successful teams immediately look to expand, it can quickly backfire. “There are plenty of games made with very large teams and for huge amounts of money that don’t land, and there is a human cost to running things that way. People lose their jobs.”
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What’s next from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 devs?
As for what comes next, Meurisse was tight-lipped on specifics, though he assured the team has plenty of “great ideas for the next game.” These ideas come from Studio Head Guillaume Broche, in particular.
Not only that, but the crew is eager to dive into its next project, taking all of their learnings from the first blockbuster. Devs across all disciplines, be it art, animation, or programming, have “acquired new skills” by working on Expedition 33. As such, Sandfall will be starting its next game “from a more efficient position.”
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“I can’t wait to dig more into the ideas we already have for the next game.”
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