Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 team “shell-shocked” after clean sweep at the Golden Joysticks

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The creators of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 were amazed by how well the game was received when it came out in April.

Seven months after its release, the game is starting to win awards, and it’s likely many more will follow. It recently swept the Golden Joystick Awards, winning all seven categories it was up for – including the top prize, Ultimate Game of the Year. Jennifer English and Ben Starr also won Best Lead and Supporting Performer awards for their roles as Maelle and Verso.

I recently spoke with the team behind the game – Guillaume Broche, the CEO of Sandfall Interactive, art director Nicholas Maxson-Francombe, and some of the amazing actors like Jennifer English, Ben Starr, Rich Keeble (who plays Monoco and François!), Devora Wilde as Clea, and Aliona Baranova as Marie. Honestly, you could feel how surprised they all were!

“I don’t know what’s happening,” said Broche.

“No, same,” echoed Maxson-Francome.

After thanking the audience with the microphone, Wilde added that the band was completely stunned. She described everyone as looking dazed and speechless.

“For sure, like, we did see all the nominations, but I mean, now that it’s kind of come to reality, it’s just kind of a bit weird for all of us,” Maxson-Francome explained.

Broche explained that initially, nobody expected the project to become as popular as it has. Before it launched, the team thought it would be a neat project, but not a massive success. He added that, even now, people don’t fully grasp the scale of what’s happening.

It’s a strange but wonderful feeling when you share something personal and the world responds with kindness and support.

The players are incredibly supportive – we receive so many heartfelt messages, beautiful fan art, and creative covers. It’s truly touching and difficult to put into words just how much it means to us.

“But we are shell-shocked, we can say that for sure.”

Ben Starr, known for his engaging personality, expanded on what Broche said, explaining that he believes people will likely forget how relatively small this game once was by the end of 2025. He pointed out that the game wasn’t always as popular as it is now, and its current status as a cultural phenomenon is due to its authenticity and widespread appeal.

Following a brief pause for the award presentation – “I just won Best Soundtrack, that’s amazing!” Starr exclaimed – he resumed his prepared speech.

No one really anticipated this level of success. It started as a small game, but players genuinely enjoyed it, and that created a buzz. It was amazing to see how quickly word spread and more and more people started playing.

Honestly, those numbers were totally unexpected! We’ve all been blowing up each other’s messages, basically saying, ‘This is ridiculous, just a joke!’ We’re all agreeing it’s just silly, and everyone’s kind of saying, ‘Okay, let’s just stop!’ But it has been really cool, though.

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2025-11-21 18:06