Sandfall Interactive Reveals the Limited Budget Behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has made history at The Game Awards 2025, becoming the game with the most awards ever received in a single edition of the event. Out of 12 nominations, it won in nine categories, including Game of the Year, breaking the previous record of seven awards held by The Last of Us: Part II.
Recently, Sandfall Interactive revealed in an interview with The New York Times that the acclaimed French RPG was developed for less than $10 million — an incredibly limited amount compared to the budgets typically seen in major video game productions.
Why the Budget Shaped the Game’s Design
With such a limited budget, the studio had to make several strategic decisions to ensure its first major project could fit within its financial constraints. One of the first was to rule out creating a full open-world game.
Instead, they chose to develop a classic-style RPG inspired by Japanese productions, which allowed them to make the most of their available resources. This approach justified design choices such as having battles take place in specific arenas and allowing players to explore the world through a “miniature” version of its universe — much like the traditional world maps seen in old-school JRPGs.
The Lesson in Smart Development
This case highlights how important it is to be realistic about available resources during the planning and design phases of a video game. Many projects fail by trying to do too much with too little, but Sandfall Interactive managed to avoid that trap through careful decision-making and creativity.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is now available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
