In a recent interview with The Washington Post, game designer Guillaume Broche and lead writer Jennifer Svedberg-Yen from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 revealed fresh details about the game's development. Here's what stood out:
- Contrary to claims circulating online, most of the team at Sandfall Interactive are newcomers, not industry veterans.
- Only three developers had previously worked at Ubisoft, representing just 10% of the team, which includes 33 people and one dog. Still, Broche himself had been involved in major AAA projects at Ubisoft.
- Broche emphasized that Expedition 33 was developed by a very young team. Despite the studio’s small size, they collaborated with hundreds of contractors, including developers, artists, and localization experts.
- The studio also denied rumors about post-launch DLC. The team is currently focused entirely on refining the released version of the game.
To fulfill his vision of a cinematic, turn-based RPG, Broche brought in talent from diverse creative backgrounds.
One of Broche’s main inspirations was Final Fantasy VIII — the first game he ever played. As kids, he and his brother barely knew how to read and couldn’t defeat the first boss because they didn’t understand the text, relying only on auto-attacks. Still, the experience left a lasting emotional imprint.
The studio secured a publishing deal with Kepler Interactive after their second pitch, where they presented a prototype and outlined the game’s core concept.
Kepler later brought in notable talent for voice acting, including:
- Charlie Cox (Daredevil)
- Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings)
- Jennifer English (Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3)
- Ben Starr (Clive in Final Fantasy XVI)
