Gamers Push Back At Clair Obscur Winning 'Best Indie' At The Game Awards 2025

Many gamers claim that this year was competitive across gaming, as titles like Silksong, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and many others fought for prestigious industry awards.

With The Game Awards 2025 wrapping up, it's clear that one of the big winners is Sandfall Interactive's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The game was nominated in 12 categories and won nine of them, breaking the record for both nominations and wins and becoming the most successful game in TGA history.

While the gaming community believes the awards were well-deserved, fans think the game shouldn't have received Best Independent Game and Best Debut Independent Game awards.

Clair Obscur 'A Fake Indie' Says Critics

Online, detractors questioned how a game reportedly built on a $10 million (£7.48 million) budget, published by Kepler Interactive, could compete in the same category as much smaller, self-funded projects.

The debate echoes controversy from earlier in the awards season, when the anonymous solo developer behind the roguelike hit Megabonk withdrew from the indie category, citing concerns that corporate-backed titles were dominating the space. One of the people criticising the game is YouTuber Jon Del Arroz.

He argues that Clair Obscur represents what he describes as a growing trend of 'fake indie ' games. These are titles branded as independent while benefiting from substantial financial, institutional, and corporate support.

Among his points:

• The game reportedly sold 2 million copies within two weeks, a level of success many argue is atypical for grassroots indie releases.
• A film adaptation deal was allegedly in place before launch, suggesting significant confidence and backing for the project.
• Publisher Kepler Interactive provides funding, infrastructure, coordinated playtesting, and strategic oversight, a setup that's not commonly seen in the indie development scene.

While none of this disqualifies Clair Obscur from being classified as indie under current rules, opponents argue it highlights how blurred the definition has become.

The debate has also drawn attention to the role of public funding. Sandfall Interactive has acknowledged benefiting from French government support through programmes administered by the Centre national du cinéma (CNC), which can provide tax credits of up to 20% and cultural grants tied to staffing, budget, and EU cultural criteria.

Some gamers have questioned how these funds are allocated and whether public subsidies further complicate claims of independence.

Supporters counter that such programmes are designed to strengthen national creative industries and are widely used across film and games development in Europe.

Developers Defend Their Indie Credentials

Despite the backlash, Sandfall Interactive has maintained that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was never intended to become a blockbuster.

'We wanted to make a small game, but with big ambition,' said co-founder François Meurisse during his TGA acceptance speech, describing the development process as 'challenging every day.'

Co-founder Tom Guillermin dedicated the award to indie teams worldwide, particularly those 'who push forward with limited resources' and 'never make it to release,' framing the win as a shared victory for independent creativity rather than a rejection of it.

While Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 continues to be celebrated for its artistry and ambition, its Best Indie win has ensured that the conversation around independence, funding, and fairness at major awards shows will remain firmly in the spotlight well beyond TGA 2025.