The IGA Revokes Clair Obscur Expedition 33 Awards Including GOTY
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 loses its Indie Game Awards GOTY and Debut wins after organizers revoked them over undisclosed AI-generated content.
The Clair Obscur Expedition 33 AI saga just took another hit. Following renewed attention on producer François Meurisse’s AI admission, the game has been stripped of the two Indie Game Awards it recently took home including Game of the Year and Debut Game.
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 Loses 2 Awards Due to AI-use
The Indie Game Awards 2025 recently took place and as expected from their sweep at The Game Awards 2025, Clair Obscur Expedition 33 was crowned the Game of the Year, alongside Debut Game.
However, in an official announcement made yesterday, Six One Indie, the show’s organisers, revoked both awards due to AI content. They shared that Sandfall Interactive, during the submission phase, initially declared that no AI was used.
But after the resurfacing of its producer François Meurisse’s AI admission, the organization had again asked Sandfall for clarification. It was during this time (the day of the premier) that the studio admitted to using generative AI art.
Because of this, they were technically disqualified for all their nominations and so their wins go to the runner ups which are Blue Prince for GOTY and Sorry We’re Closed for Debut Game. Here’s the actual update on IGA’s Game Eligibility FAQs pertaining to the decision:
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 a resurfaced interview with Sandfall Interactive confirming the use of gen AI art in production on just ahead of the Indie Game Awards 2025 premiere, this does disqualify Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from its nomination. While the assets in question were patched out and it is a wonderful game, it does go against the regulations we have in place. As a result, the IGAs nomination committee has agreed to officially retract both the Debut Game and Game of the Year awards.
Each award will be going to the next highest-ranked game in its respective category:
Debut Game: Sorry We’re Closed
Game of the Year: Blue Prince
Both à la mode games and Dogubomb have been notified and were invited to record acceptance speeches. Since the IGAs premiere took place just ahead of the holiday break, we expect both acceptance speeches to be recorded and published in early 2026.
It’s unfortunate to see awards getting stripped from such a wonderful game, and this feeling is shared by a lot in the community. However, this also sparked some heated conversations as some have pointed out that while the AI assets were immediately replaced, it’s not just the actual use that’s bothering fans.
It’s the lying to IGA and the subtle concealment of the fact. Yes, Meurisse admitted it to a Spanish newspaper but how come it was never on anything else? Plus, when they changed the questioned assets, they did so quietly without addressing it to the fans who caught it soon after launch. Was it always going to be replaced or only when fans raised it? Valid questions.
But of course, it’s never one-sided. Many fans have also come out and defended the game. As explained by Sandfall, some of the team members experimented with AI during development which was also acceptable especially in 2022 when it wasn’t mainstream yet. Or maybe a better way of putting it, when people didn’t lose jobs over it yet.
Some have also shared that this chatter, outrage, and sudden resurfacing were from other studios who are sour with the game’s success. Who knows, could be a mix of all of this.
What do you think? Does Sandfall and Expedition 33 deserve the scrutiny it’s facing now?
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Sending some gaming news your way from a surfing paradise island. Loves creating content, and researching informative facts and useless trivia. A novice in the gaming industry but a veteran in communications and publication.
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