Among the biggest reasons why Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is so special are the circumstances of its development. Despite having visuals, voice talent, gameplay, and general production value that rival the most expensive AAA RPGs on the market, Clair Obscur‘s development team, Sandfall Interactive, is composed of only around 30 members. What’s more is that many of these developers, writers, and musicians had little to no professional experience before coming onboard, which may have contributed to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 feeling as fresh and passionate as it does.
Indeed, Sandfall Interactive’s Justice League of developers is unusually trim, especially as game development costs are soaring and major companies are struggling to commit to sustainable practices. The story of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33‘s development is remarkable and will no doubt inspire future generations of game-makers, but in the wake of this incredible debut, few could fault Sandfall Interactive for expanding its operation, either with the goal of making a more ambitious title or streamlining the development process. However, according to recent comments from Clair Obscur‘s lead developers, such growth isn’t in the cards for now.
Clair Obscur’s Developer Won’t Be Getting Much Bigger Anytime Soon
A Smaller Sandfall Interactive Means Smaller Games Down the Line
Clair Obscur‘s depth and breadth of content are quite incredible, given its aforementioned slim development team, but there’s always room to grow. Certainly, Clair Obscur‘s scope works for the story it’s trying to tell, but one could imagine future Sandfall games that are even bigger, or more feature-rich. Sandfall Interactive’s talent, passion, and verve, combined with the scale and gameplay variety of something like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, would be a sight to behold indeed.
But Sandfall Interactive has no such ambitions, at least for now. Speaking with Automaton, lead Clair Obscur programmer Tom Guillermin made his thoughts on Sandfall’s scale clear: “I think that, for now, Iād prefer working as a small team.” He went on to say that Sandfall’s current team is “just the right size” for making a “full-priced turn-based RPG,” indicating that the company’s modus operandi is unlikely to change. This means that audiences may not get a crazy-ambitious, dizzyingly large “JRPG” from Sandfall anytime soon, but this is perhaps for the best.
Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 has already garnered praise from AAA developers, with Square Enix allegedly considering its success a factor in the design for the next Final Fantasy.
Sandfall Interactive’s Restraint and Trim Talent Pool Are What Make It Special
Sandfall Interactive’s small size has value beyond a compelling underdog story. Too many cooks spoil the roast, and ballooning the development team could make Clair Obscur‘s successor lose much of Sandfall’s burgeoning identity. In fact, it’s likely that the style of game would have to change were the current talent pool to be adulterated. This isn’t to say that Sandfall should never consider expanding with new creatives, producers, and the like, but it might be worthwhile to play with this workplace dynamic a bit longer.
Sandfall Interactive also has a much better chance of sticking around if it remains conservative in its growth. There are countless examples of companies, both within and beyond the games industry, that have lost their way because of material ambitions. With a smaller development team and Clair Obscur‘s undeniable success, Sandfall can better weather the financial storms of future development, avoiding major setbacks or layoffs that could have resulted from getting too big, too soon. It’s obvious that Sandfall’s current team setup is a good one, so there’s no reason to mess with success just yet.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Released
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April 24, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
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Sandfall Interactive
- Publisher(s)
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Kepler Interactive
- Engine
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Unreal Engine 5
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