Expedition 33 sold 3.3 million copies in 33 days. Despite that, the devs don’t want to make „bigger games”

3.3 million dreams fulfilled – that’s the magic number for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33! Just 33 exhilarating days after its launch, we’ve managed to surpass this milestone. Sandfall Interactive Studio took a moment to celebrate and share their excitement with everyone on our official game account on X. Can’t wait to see where the journey takes us next!

The French turn-based role-playing game saw a fantastic debut. Within a single day, the game managed to sell half a million copies, and in just three days, sales had reached a million. By the end of the second week, it had sold yet another million copies.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 devs remain faithful to their ideals

A successful game might inspire developers to grow their team and begin work on a follow-up. Yet, François Meurisse, the game developer and co-founder of Sandfall Interactive, clarified during an interview with GamesIndustry.biz that the creators have no plans to alter their methodology.

Currently, our strategy involves maintaining a compact team, preferably all located in the same city, with fewer than 50 members, who will collaborate closely on various projects. This setup allows us to maintain agility, creativity, and intellectual prowess, as well as fostering the enthusiasm of a small group driven by a shared ambition for significant accomplishments – as stated by Meurisse.

The developer is uncertain about whether larger games are necessary. In his viewpoint, the power of “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” lies in valuing the player’s time. As Meurisse noted, the game doesn’t demand spending 500 hours in front of the screen, but it provides numerous activities and enjoyment from the game. This quality keeps the game from being overly expansive. However, it remains to be seen what direction the studio, which aimed to produce a DLC, will go in, but after such a significant success, they must reassess their original plans.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=-57707

The leader of Pocketpair Studio, who oversees the popular survival sandbox game Palworld, echoed similar sentiments. In March, Takuro Mizobe admitted that he prefers not to develop projects from the AAA category. John “Bucky” Buckley, the game’s community manager, explained that this is also the reason behind the studio’s decision not to significantly expand its workforce, as doing so could potentially alter the company’s work culture.

This year on April 24th, “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” was launched for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X platforms. Following its debut, the game’s accessibility to Game Pass subscribers has undoubtedly played a significant role in its widespread popularity.

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2025-05-28 18:32