Indie Game Awards Strip Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 of Two Awards Over Generative AI Use

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 appeared to have cemented its status as one of indie gaming's premier modern success stories after climbing to the top of this year's Indie Game Awards with two of the night's biggest prizes.

But the victory unravelled almost as quickly as it arrived.

In a stark turnaround just days after the ceremony, organisers moved to revoke both honours after determining that the game had failed to comply with strict rules governing the use of generative artificial intelligence.

The slick role-playing title from Sandfall Interactive, published by Kepler Interactive, was named Game of the Year and Debut Game at Thursday's awards show. By Saturday, both prizes had been cancelled outright, dragging what should have been a celebration into controversy.

Award officials said the decision followed confirmation that the game had used AI-generated art assets, reigniting a deep-seated debate across the games industry about the role of artificial intelligence in creative development.

A Shock Reversal After Awards Night Glory

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 emerged as one of the biggest winners at the Indie Game Awards 2025, earning praise for its visual style and ambitious vision as a debut project from a new studio. The double win was initially hailed by developers and fans as a landmark moment for indie gaming.

That mood shifted abruptly when the Indie Game Awards updated its FAQ to explain why the title had been deemed ineligible. Organisers said representatives from Sandfall Interactive had agreed during the submission process that no generative AI had been used in the game's development.

However, the situation changed on the day of the awards premiere, when Sandfall confirmed that AI-generated art assets had in fact been used during production.

According to organisers, that admission automatically rendered the game ineligible, leading to the unprecedented decision to rescind both awards.

Why Patched Out AI Assets Still Counted

The Indie Game Awards made clear that the issue was not whether AI content remained in the final version of the game. While the suspected AI generated textures were quickly removed in a patch just five days after launch, their presence at release was enough to trigger disqualification.

'In light of Sandfall Interactive confirming the use of gen AI art in production on the day of the Indie Game Awards 2025 premiere, this does disqualify Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from its nomination,' the FAQ stated.

The ruling underscores the organisation's firm stance that any use of generative AI, even if later removed, conflicts with its rules.

Earlier Admissions Come Back Into Focus

Fuel was added to the controversy as older comments from Sandfall Interactive co-founder François Meurisse resurfaced online. Polygon referenced an interview published by Spanish newspaper El País in June, Meurisse acknowledged limited use of generative AI during development.

'We used some AI, but not much,' he said at the time. 'The key is that we were very clear about what we wanted to do and where to invest our efforts.'

Those remarks circulated widely on social media last week amid broader industry debate sparked by Larian Studios boss Swen Vincke confirming AI tools were being used on the next Divinity game.

Limited Backlash Compared with Other Titles

Players on X and Reddit were among the first to spot what they believed were AI generated textures in Clair Obscur at launch. Awareness of the issue remained relatively niche, and Sandfall avoided the scale of backlash faced by other studios, including 11 Bit Studios over The Alters.

Polygon has reached out to Sandfall Interactive for comment, but no response has yet been made public.

New Winners Named In Its Place

With Clair Obscur disqualified, the Indie Game Awards confirmed that honours would pass to the next highest ranked games in each category. Debut Game will now go to We're Closed, while Game of the Year has been awarded to Blue Prince.

Acceptance speeches from the newly crowned winners are expected to be shared in early 2026, closing a turbulent chapter that highlights just how costly even limited AI use can be in today's indie scene.