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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 isn't just a strong Game of the Year candidate, it’s also a huge financial hit. Developer Sandfall Interactive along with publisher their publishing partner announced that this title topped 5 million units in sales, and that’s in spite of it being a day-one release on Xbox Game Pass.

This achievement came as a shock to Sandfall. I firmly believed that we would have an enjoyable experience garnering some average sales results,” a key executive explained.

A technical director noted that Clair Obscur’s review aggregate, now standing at 93, was the most surprising moment for everyone compared to “our initial expectations and what the reality proved to be. Once it was published everybody in the studio were cheering loudly. It felt absolutely wild.”

This triumph resulted in work on a complimentary expansion for the game with a new environment, foes, along with challenging bosses, reportedly is coming in the next few months.

That said, despite the game's evolution, fans shouldn't anticipate the studio to grow. We've built a talented crew under clear creative leadership who has a great vision for our work and future concepts. We'd like to keep the close-knit size that worked for this game then develop one big game after another,” the executive added.

The studio's scale sparked a storm of discussion following launch. A few well-known creators, such as the famed director, looked at this studio as the model for game development. While Sandfall was and is indeed a small team next to major studios, one glance at the game's credits indicates many individuals were involved; the French studio partnered with overseas animators to work on gameplay animations, as an instance.

“We plan to recruit slightly more certainly if we have a future production surge in the coming years,” the executive stated. “But I would see more of a workshop of a few really talented people capable of producing a work of art together.” It was stated that their core belief as developers “focuses on preserving the successful elements that made this achievement possible from the start.”

Although it's premature for the studio to reveal exact details regarding upcoming titles — believe me, I attempted to learn more — the team does know what’s at its core. “Turn-based gameplay, is integral to our identity of our creations,” a developer remarked. “It's a bit too early to announce future passions, but it's important also to stay true to the DNA of studio featuring rich storytelling and the interesting gameplay that inspires the team.”

The developer mentioned how this game began with the visionary developing his passion title. And hopefully that's something we can continue with upcoming games.”