Disqualified Over AI? The Story of GOTY Winner Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was one of the most awarded video games of 2025, sweeping competition and earning worldwide praise from critics and players. The French RPG (role-playing game) developed by Sandfall Interactive won several awards during the year, including a record number of nominations and wins at The Game Awards 2025, where it took home Game of the Year (GOTY) along with several other honours.
However, soon after another round of awards from The Indie Game Awards, Expedition 33 found itself at the center of a controversy that cost it some of its biggest titles. Initially, the game won both Game of the Year and Debut Game at the 2025 Indie Game Awards, confirming it as an exceptional debut from Sandfall Interactive. The celebration was short-lived. In late December 2025, the organizers of The Indie Game Awards announced that they were taking back their accolades after discovering that artificial intelligence had been used at some stage in the game’s development, which is a violation of the awards’ eligibility rules.
According to the official statement from the committee, Sandfall Interactive had originally stated in the submission process that no generative AI was used in the creation of Expedition 33. Their assurance was important because The Indie Game Awards maintain a strict no AI policy. “Games developed using generative AI tools are ineligible for nomination or awards.” When it became clear that AI generated content had in fact been used, even if it was briefly and later removed, the committee decided that the game no longer met the criteria and withdrew both titles.
The controversy centered on the discovery of a small number of AI-generated placeholder textures used early in development. While these elements were reportedly patched shortly after release, and many players noted that the final game itself does not feature AI content, the awards organization maintained that any use of generative AI violated their rules.
As a result, the Game of the Year award was given to another title, “‘Blue Prince’, and the Debut Game award went to “Sorry We’re Closed”.
This incident highlights the rapidly evolving debate within the gaming industry over the appropriate role of AI in creative processes, as strict eligibility rules clash with emerging development practices.
