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| Characters in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. |
In a dramatic turn of events at the prestigious Indie Game Awards 2025, what began as a crowning achievement for developer Sandfall Interactive quickly spiraled into a high-profile revocation, casting a harsh spotlight on the industry's ongoing debate over generative AI.
The evening started as a fairy tale for the French studio. Their debut title, the highly anticipated Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, swept two of the ceremony's top honors: Game of the Year and Debut Game. For a moment, the small team’s celebration symbolized the indie spirit at its best—a passion project rising to the top on creativity and vision.
A Swift Reversal: The AI Admission
The revelry was short-lived. Shortly after the ceremony concluded, a cloud of controversy began to form. The catalyst was a statement from the game's producer, François Meurisse, who confirmed in post-award interviews that generative AI tools had been used during certain stages of the game’s production, though he clarified that the AI-generated assets were later removed via post-launch patches.
This admission triggered an immediate response from the Indie Game Awards committee. The organization maintains a strict, zero-tolerance policy regarding the use of generative AI in any phase of development for submitted games. All entrants must agree to this condition during the nomination process.
“The Indie Game Awards have a hard stance on the use of gen AI throughout the nomination process and during the ceremony itself,” the committee stated. “When it was submitted for consideration, representatives of Sandfall Interactive agreed that no gen AI was used in the development of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.”
The confirmation of its use, despite the assets being patched out, was deemed a direct violation of the contest's foundational rules.
The Awards Are Officially Retracted
Within hours, the committee released a follow-up statement, making the difficult decision official. The dual awards were retracted, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was disqualified from its nominations.
“In light of Sandfall Interactive confirming the use of gen AI art in production on the day of the Indie Game Awards 2025 premiere, this does disqualify Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from its nomination,” the statement read. “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.”
For clarity on their exact policies, the Indie Game Awards outline their criteria and rules publicly on their official FAQ page.
New Winners Emerge from the Fallout
The committee moved swiftly to name the new recipients of the vacated awards. The Debut Game award will now go to the surreal horror title Sorry We’re Closed, while the coveted Game of the Year honor has been awarded to the atmospheric puzzle adventure Blue Prince.
A Lingering Industry Debate
This incident is more than just a awards night drama; it’s a microcosm of the larger, heated conversation gripping the game development world. It highlights the tension between rapid technological adoption and the desire to preserve human-centric artistic processes—a core value for many in the indie scene. The Indie Game Awards’ firm stance underscores a commitment to that principle, setting a clear, if controversial, boundary.
For Sandfall Interactive, the night will be remembered as a bittersweet paradox: a validation of their game's quality by judges, immediately followed by a stark lesson on the non-negotiable ethics policies of a major institution. As the industry continues to grapple with the role of AI, the story of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 at the 2025 Indie Game Awards will likely be cited as a defining case study for years to come.