Summary

  • French president Emmanuel Macron lauded Sandfall Interactive for its game's creativity and success.
  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hit one million copies sold on launch day, and became the highest-rated game in 2025.
  • We might have an all-timer on our hands.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is undoubtedly one of the breakout hits of the year; maybe even all-time. Sandfall Interactive's unique RPG shattered all expectations when it hit one million copies sold on launch day. However, it wasn't done. Besides becoming the highest-rated game in 2025, it also casually took the title of highest-rated user-scored game on Metacritic ever.

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The praises just don't stop for Expedition 33, as it's even topping charts on PlayStation. Critics and players alike are in awe of the game's gripping story, engaging exploration, and creative take on turn-based combat. However, it's not just us gamers that are showering it with praise, even French president, Emmanuel Macron has congratulated Sandfall Interactive.

French President Praises Clair Obscur Devs

via Instagram

Replying to an Instagram post that celebrated the game's one million sales (via PC Gamer), Macron said, "A million copies and to date, one of the best-rated games in history: and yes, it's French! Congratulations to Sandfall Interactive and all the creators of Expedition 33. You are a shining example of French audacity and creativity."

It's hard to believe that a project with so many accolades is the debut game of the studio. At a time when the industry is filled with bloated RPGs that take up so much time, fans are loving the approach of Expedition 33. Its willingness to take risks is what has made it so popular, and fans want the industry to learn from it.

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It says a lot when a game by a relatively unknown developer isn't overshadowed by a brilliant remaster of one of the best RPGs of all time. "We always knew Expedition 33 had a very specific identity," said publisher portfolio manager Matt Handrahan in an interview. "When I was in the press, I saw the Western-style RPG and Japanese-style RPG as having quite different appeals and audiences. I knew plenty of people that would play an Elder Scrolls game that wouldn't necessarily play Final Fantasy and vice versa."

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Turn-Based RPG Fantasy Systems 45 9.6/10 OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 92/100 Critics Rec: 97% Released April 24, 2025 ESRB Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence Developer(s) Sandfall Interactive Publisher(s) Kepler Interactive Engine Unreal Engine 5
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