Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Was Built by Strangers on Reddit

by

It’s astounding to ponder that one of this year’s most popular role-playing games wasn’t developed by a major gaming company, but rather by a group of individuals who connected on Reddit amid the pandemic and collaborated to create it.

Project Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, initiated by Sandfall Interactive, didn’t kick off with a glamorous workspace or a multi-million dollar presentation—it began with a creative Ubisoft employee named Guillaume Broche and an ambitious dream that miraculously took flight.

In the year 2020, during the height of worldwide lockdowns, Guillaume felt a strong desire for change in his daily life. Yearning to escape his regular routine and rekindle the enchantment he once felt for Final Fantasy VIII from his youth, he started dabbling with Unreal Engine instead.

Instead of following traditional job recruitment methods, he opted to seek assistance on Reddit communities, publishing posts in search of individuals who could aid him in materializing his concept. What he was providing wasn’t substantial resources, merely the opportunity to participate in a venture that could lead to nothing or potentially something remarkable.

Initially, Jennifer Svedberg-Yen, a writer and actor residing in Australia at the time, who had no prior experience in voice acting, decided to take a chance and try it out for fun. This audition turned out to be life-changing as it catapulted her from being a demo line assistant to becoming the lead game writer.

As a music enthusiast, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to make my foray into the world of game development, transitioning from SoundCloud. The moment my compositions were heard by Guillaume, we sparked a creative connection that led us to produce some of the game’s most poignant and emotionally resonant tracks together.

In a BBC article, Guillaume and Jennifer characterized the game development process as an unusual chain of fortunate occurrences. The eventual team, despite lacking significant past experience in game development, was united by a collective creative aspiration and the drive to venture into uncharted territories.

Eventually, Guillaume decided to leave Ubisoft and established Sandfall Interactive in Montpellier, France. With support from Kepler Interactive, the project evolved from a small hobby into a substantial development process, although the team remained relatively small, consisting of approximately 30 individuals.

In spite of its small stature, the team worked tirelessly with great devotion, each individual taking on various roles and learning as they went along. The game they constructed was far from traditional. Amidst the decaying cityscape of Lumière, a corrupted imitation of Paris, the tale of Expedition 33 unfolds in a world haunted by the Paintress’ curse.

As a gamer, I find myself drawn into a tale where an enigmatic entity annually decreases the markings on a colossal stone pillar, vanishing every individual who shares that birth year from existence. A resilient group of us survivors serves as the protagonists, determined to disrupt this cycle and unravel its origins. The world we inhabit is richly detailed, mirroring our own struggles and sorrows in a poignant exploration of life and loss.

Blending old-school turn-based tactics with fast-paced actions like dodging and time-sensitive attacks creates a unique combat system that seamlessly marries classic style with modern tactility. This game exceeded all expectations, breaking the one million sales mark within just its initial three days.

The soundtrack gained significant popularity online, reaching viral music rankings, and French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged it as a representation of French ingenuity and artistic talent.

It was unexpected that such an unconventional group would produce one of the year’s most moving and critically adored role-playing games. However, against all odds, they managed to do so, and the tale of their creation is equally captivating as the game itself.

Read More

2025-05-05 04:44