‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’ stripped of Indie Game awards due to AI production

The Indie Game Awards have been stripped away Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 in both its Game of the Year and Debut Game awards, it cites the game’s use of a production AI simulation.

Run by Six One Indie, the annual Indie Game Awards aim to highlight excellence in independent video game development. Titles are eligible for consideration for the Indie Game Awards if their developers are outside of the “traditional publisher system,” and were owned or not financially controlled by a major company. He said games must also not use any AI generated in their development process, which would make them “completely ineligible for nomination.”

Unfortunately, that seems to be the case Clair Obscur: Expedition 33Developer developer Sandfall Interactive has really used AI for production, taking them out of the Indie Game Awards.

“The Indie Game Awards has a strong opinion on the use of gen AI during the nomination process and during the event itself,” wrote the Indie Game Awards, announcing its decision over the weekend. “When it was submitted for review, a Sandfall Interactive representative admitted that no form of AI was used in the development Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

“Due to Sandfall Interactive confirming the use of next gen AI technology in production on the day of the first game of the Indie Game Awards 2025, this is not appropriate. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 in its appointment. Although the goods in question have been removed and it is a very good game, it is against the rules we have.”

The Game of the Year Indie Game Awards and Game of the Year will now be awarded to the highest scoring titles in each category. As such, Debut Game goes a la mode ‘horror’ survival games Sorry We are closedwhile the Indie Game Awards’ Game of the Year 2025 is the puzzle adventure game Dogubomb Blue Prince.

Sandfall Interactive previously revealed its use of AI in a July interview with a Spanish newspaper El Paísalthough it did not clearly confirm that the tools they used were naturally productive. At that time, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33Producer François Meurisse just mentioned that they used “some AI” in the game’s production.

In a recent update that El País‘ article, Sandfall Interactive claimed that there are no productive AI assets currently available Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. However, it confirmed that the production AI was used to create proxy textures during development, not all of them were released before release due to oversight of the quality assurance process. Sandfall Interactive claims that such AI-generated textures were changed within five days Clair Obscur: Expedition 33‘s was introduced, and was not intended to be included in the final game.

The players really saw how the AI ​​was made Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 upon its release on April 24, it immediately drew attention to suspicious in-game posters on social media. Less than a week later, the patch notes for the hotfix noted that the developers “replaced the handler texture with the correct visual property.”

However, the Indie Game Awards apparently did not know about these events, as they did not receive them Clair Obscur: Expedition 33Use of AI until Dec. 18, the day the winners were announced.

Reaction to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33The cancellation of the Indie Game Awards has been mixed. While some fans appreciate the award’s strong stance against artificial AI, others feel that Sandfall Interactive’s use of technology to create the poster’s legacy was minimal and should be allowed in this instance. However, the criteria for the Indie Game Awards requires that no artificial AI be used at all, regardless of the level of such use.

“Thank you for standing up and speaking up for an ethical gaming industry,” wrote @erin-hallow on Bluesky. “At a time when real human creativity is under threat and big players are perpetuating that problem, it means a lot to see the awards show that they really care about the authenticity of the games they show.”

“Considering one placeholder property made it into the final version, completely by mistake, seems silly but rules are rules I guess,” wrote Redditor u/Caridor on the r/expedition33 subreddit. (Note: Technically at least two substitute outfits were seen, but their sentiments remain.)

Although Sandfall Interactive has not directly commented on the cancellation of the Indie Game Awards at the time of writing, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 there are still plenty of other wins to keep you warm. The critically acclaimed French game swept the 2025 Game Awards earlier this month, taking home Game of the Year and eight other trophies. It also won six awards at the Golden Joystick Awards, including Ultimate Game of the Year.

The use of generative AI in game development is a controversial issue. While some see it as a tool to increase efficiency, many others worry that artificial intelligence will replace real artists, taking jobs away from an already struggling industry while flooding the market with low-quality, AI slop.