an improbable masterpiece

Is it legal to work in gaming and not have a take on Expedition 33? I'm not sure, so here's mine:

"The whole story of [the Sandfall Interactive team] is basically an RPG that makes no sense still to this day."

Guillaume Broche

Every so often you see a winner in the games industry whose origin story is so peak it almost overshadows the success that made you interested in the story to begin with.

I was recovering from jet lag this past week and my “well… I woke up at 3 AM, now what?” strategy was Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the latest indie hit to break containment this year.

My take: Expedition 33 is a 10/10 masterpiece with gameplay that’s a brilliantly executed hybrid of turn-based JRPG strategy x “git gud” rhythm combat often associated with Soulslikes.

I rarely use “masterpiece” to describe content but it’s a fairly popular opinion of Expedition 33:

• Sold over 2 million copies in its first 12 days (while available Day 1 on Game Pass, which deflates sales numbers)

• Outperformed industry bellwether GameDiscoverCo’s sales forecast by 6.5x

• Currently a 92 on Metacritic and “A 10 if there ever was one” for Paul Tassi

All this despite being a new IP, a debut title, and the product of a small French indie studio with few industry vets.

Not exactly the tried-and-true formula.

So… how does a game like Expedition 33 get made?

Pretty straightforward:

1. Bored middle manager at Ubisoft reflects that it will take 25 years to accumulate the internal clout needed to credibly pitch his dream game.

2. Said manager posts to Reddit seeking voice actors willing to record lines for free to make a demo.

3. Former private equity investor and astronaut trainee (seriously) responds to the post because why not?

4. Kepler Interactive (publisher behind cult hit Pacific Drive) takes a look at the demo and says “hey this looks cool, actually– let’s cut you a check.”

5. …

6. Profit!

Easy, no?

Gene Park has a fantastic write-up on the full story that’s well worth your time.

don’t mind esquie popping in to break up a wall of text

It’s very funny to me that the outlier success of Expedition 33 has triggered a parade of LinkedIn-coded thinkpieces like “How Clair Obscur 33 Rewrote The Gamedev Playbook.”

Hey, I get it: financiers crave consistency and game development craves capital.

There’s an overpowering incentive to identify The Blueprint that allows for consistent, replicable success in game development (most recently: AAA studio pedigree!) and leverage it to get game games funded.

And it’s true: Sandfall Interactive did capitalize on tailwinds to deliver a smash hit at a modest price point during a period of industry turmoil and ballooning dev costs.

It is cool to see nimble teams leverage Unreal to deliver eye-popping graphical experiences that would have been financially unfeasible a decade ago.

I’m just firmly in the camp that believes meta/playbook/blueprint discourse confuses sprinkles with sundaes. For the record, I love sprinkles.

Successful single-player game-making is an exercise in creating resonant art, not shiny and hollow SaaS vehicles, much to the chagrin of tourists investing in the industry. Monetization, user acquisition, etc. are all important, but if the core experience doesn’t resonate they simply don’t matter.

I’m with Larian CEO Swen Vincke who (sort of) called Expedition 33 as GOTY last December at the Game Awards. The playbook for making great single player games is the same as it ever was:

1. Assemble a small group of passionate, highly competent misfits

2. Have them outline the game they dearly wish existed but doesn’t

3. Secure funding

4. ...

5. Profit as a byproduct of having fun building something you really, really care about with people you really, really like

Sandfall Interactive checked every box and deserves all the flowers.

Anyways, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a masterpiece and if you’re into RPGs it would be gaming malpractice to not pick it up.

Oh, and don’t forget to play Maelle in the Gestral Village tournament so you get her most OP weapon early! Seriously, it’s a real pain acquiring it later.