How boredom at Ubisoft gave the world Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - the story of creating the best RPG of 2025

Guillaume Broche, a former brand manager and narrative leader at Ubisoft, decided to leave his stable job at the industry giant when he felt stuck in a rut. It was this boredom and thirst for creative change that led him to found Sandfall Interactive and create Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - a game that has already become a major hit of the year and exceeded all expectations of critics and players.

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The idea for Clair Obscur was born back when Brosch was working at Ubisoft, but he quickly realised that it was almost impossible to get an original project through the bureaucratic maze of a large corporation. "In large companies, to get a chance to develop your own game, you have to spend years proving your worth and climbing the career ladder.

He dreamed of a modern RPG inspired by JRPG classics like Final Fantasy, but with his own vision and unique Belle Époque setting. In 2020, Broche and François Meriss founded Sandfall Interactive in Montpellier, gathering a team of 20-25 enthusiasts - most of them newcomers, found even on Reddit, rather than Ubisoft veterans.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was not just the studio's debut, but a real sensation. The game sold more than a million copies in three days and received the highest scores on Metacritic among the new releases of 2025. Its combat system combines turn-based tactics with elements of jet action, and its visual style and atmosphere are inspired by early twentieth-century French art.

Brosch is confident that it was the independence and "friendly atmosphere of a small studio" that allowed the team to create something truly special.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 proves that even a small team can create a great game if they have the passion, freedom, and courage to break from the usual patterns. Sometimes, to change an industry, you just need to say to yourself: "I want something different."

As a reminder, according to Guillaume, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 would have taken 25 years to create if it had been developed by a large company.

You can learn more about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 in our article at this link.

Source: BBC