Expedition 33 Developer Comments on GenAI Controversy

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 developer Sandfall Interactive has promised that, in the future, everything from the studio will be made by humans and not AI. To say that the use of generative AI in video game development is currently a contentious topic would be an understatement. Since its advent into the mainstream a few years ago, game companies are regularly called out for suspected AI use, and often the accusations turn out to be true. So when they found out that Clair Obscur had been released with AI assets, some fans reacted negatively.

Though the amount of AI present in the release build of the widely acclaimed RPG was apparently small, it still generated backlash among many gamers. The art was intended to be a placeholder only and was quickly patched out, but its very use resulted in Clair Obscur being disqualified from the Indie Game Awards and its Best Debut and Game of the Year wins being retracted. It seems, though, that the developer has heard the response loud and clear.

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Clair Obscur Developer Won’t Use Generative AI in the Future

Recently, Expedition 33 director Guillaume Broche and art director Nicholas Maxson-Francombe sat down for a Q & A session with YouTube channel Sushi. During the discussion, the topic of AI use was brought up. Broche promised that, though it’s tough to foresee what the future may bring for the industry, in games by Sandfall at least, “everything will be made by humans from us.” He went on to explain that, when AI was used in the development of Expedition 33, the tech was still very new and was seen as just a useful tool. “We tried it, and we didn’t like it. It felt wrong.”

At least for now, whether it’s liked or not, it seems AI is here to stay and will likely become even more ubiquitous with time. Recently, another beloved game company came under fire for AI use when Larian Studios, the developer behind multi-award-winning Baldur’s Gate 3, admitted during a Bloomberg interview to using the tech to create “PowerPoint presentations, develop concept art, and write placeholder text.” Larian founder Swen Vincke clarified that no generative AI assets would make its way into Divinity, the studio’s next project, but that has only slightly diminished the backlash.

Vincke said in his interview with Bloomberg that, while AI hasn’t significantly improved the team’s efficiency, it could ultimately be detrimental not to use it if competitors adopt it widely. Renowned developer Hideo Kojima seems to be of the same mind. He’s previously stated that, while he won’t use AI to create art, he does see its potential in creating deep systems that could respond dynamically to player behaviors. In fact, Kojima has said that he would like to create a game to train AI because it currently “doesn’t know much.”

While both Sandfall Interactive and Larian Studios are currently dealing with the aftermath of revealing that they used AI in some aspects of creating their games, it likely won’t permanently impact their success. Excitement for the upcoming Divinity game by Larian is incredibly high, and Clair Obscur won a record number of categories at The Game Awards 2025, earning more wins than any other game in the event’s history.

Released

April 24, 2025

ESRB

Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence

Developer(s)

Sandfall Interactive

Publisher(s)

Kepler Interactive

Source: Bloomberg