The Industry's New Benchmark: How Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Is Redefining Game Development

The games industry's calendar is centered around two major events: the cluster of activities surrounding the former E3 timeframe and the Game Awards in December. The latter has become a crucial platform for game announcements and trailers, offering insight into the industry's current state and direction. This year, the Game Awards demonstrated that the industry is eager to replicate the success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, with numerous trailers and announcements showcasing games that draw inspiration from Sandfall's RPG. The trend of emulating successful games is not new, but in this case, it's not just the game itself that's being copied – it's the development and marketing approach that made Clair Obscur a standout title. Sandfall's allegedly modest budget of under $10 million has sparked a reevaluation of the industry's priorities regarding game development costs. The contrast between Clair Obscur's budget and the soaring costs of AAA titles is striking, and the industry is taking notice. While some publishers may attempt to replicate Sandfall's success by backing smaller projects, there's a risk that this could lead to unrealistic expectations and development pressures. The Game Awards showcased a mix of games that reflected this shift, including titles from new teams and veteran developers, as well as traditionally indie games with AAA visuals and presentation. If the industry does indeed move towards supporting smaller projects, Clair Obscur's influence will be substantial. However, there are concerns that this trend may also lead to an overemphasis on attaching celebrity names to games, which could be detrimental to the industry. Furthermore, the lessons of Clair Obscur's success may not be easily applicable to other genres, and the expectation of uniformly producing AAA-quality, indie-budgeted titles could be damaging if it sets industry expectations incorrectly. Nonetheless, the hints towards a future where smaller teams and lower-budget games are in high demand were exciting, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 may prove to be one of the most influential games of the decade, not just for its content, but for its development approach and what it represents for the industry.