Explore the latest developments concerning Clair Obscur: Expedition.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 loses a GOTY award over use of gen AI
The RPG originally launched with AI generated background assets before a patch removed them
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 took home the Game of the Year and Debut Game honors at the Indie Game Awards on Thursday, but the teams at developer Sandfall Interactive and publisher Kepler Interactive couldn't celebrate for long. On Saturday, the Indie Game Awards retracted Clair Obscur's honors due to inclusion of generative AI assets at launch that were quickly patched out.
As detailed on the Indie Game Awards' FAQ page, the organization states that "representatives of Sandfall Interactive agreed that no gen AI was used in the development of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33" when the game was submitted for awards consideration. "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." Though the AI generated assets were patched out, their initial inclusion was enough for the Indie Game Awards to disqualify Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and retract its awards.
Indie Game Awards Disqualifies Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Due To Gen AI Usage
The Indie Game Awards took place on December 18, and, as many could assume, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 took home the awards for Game of the Year and Debut Game. However, things have changed and The Indie Game Awards are making a big decision to strip the Clair Obscur and developer Sandfall Interactive of their awards over the use of gen AI in the game.
In an announcement made on Saturday afternoon, Six One Indie, the creators of the show, said that it’s removal comes after the discovery after voting was done, and the show was recorded.
“The Indie Game Awards have a hard stance on the use of gen AI throughout the nomination process and during the ceremony itself,” the statement reads. “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.
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Gamers Are Extremely Mad About AI
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You don’t have to look very hard to find examples of AI backlash in creative industries: Authors are pissed, and so are readers; an AI-generated chart hit is causing a crisis in country music; filmmakers, anticipating criticism from professionals and fans, are preemptively disavowing AI use; even Saturday Night Live, which was recently accused of using AI to generate some “Weekend Update” graphics, can’t escape the chatbot culture wars. AI-generated material is appearing all around us, and quite a few people aren’t happy about it.
For more detailed information, explore updates concerning Clair Obscur: Expedition.