The creators of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, one of last year’s biggest sensations, have officially announced their next project. And judging by the first hints, the second game from the French studio Sandfall Interactive will be more than just a sequel, but a deliberate departure. There are, however, plenty of reasons for cautious optimism.
As a reminder, the studio’s debut RPG, released on April 24, 2025, on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, has sold over 8 million copies, collected nine The Game Awards 2025 awards out of 12 nominations (including Game of the Year), and maintains an average score of 92 on OpenCritic. These are impressive figures for a studio that currently employs only about 26 people.
It is precisely this success, oddly enough, that has become a reason for caution. In an interview with Automaton Media at the Epic Games Japan event in Yokohama, Sandfall CEO and Creative Director Guillaume Broche stated bluntly that the team is intentionally not planning to expand. Broche believes that trying to hire more people and “do more and more” is a “massive mistake.” He argues that limitations aren’t a weakness, but rather fuel for creativity; when resources are tight, every element of the game makes sense, and development remains focused. The studio currently feels that this lean core is “completely sufficient” for the pre-production phase of the next game.
Furthermore, Broche admitted that developing Expedition 33 took him six years—and now he wants to experience that same creative freedom again. “We’re going to dream again and let ourselves go a little crazy,” vpesports.com quotes him as saying. However, he emphasizes that the next game won’t be an attempt to please everyone. The studio is prepared to make “radical decisions that people might not like”—and is ready for them.
The technical side also deserves special attention. Built on Unreal Engine 5, the game relied on cutting-edge technologies from the outset—Lumen, Nanite, and Blueprints visual scripting—which allowed the tiny team to achieve AAA quality. However, UE5 itself is proving to be the main stumbling block for a potential port to Nintendo Switch 2. In the same interview, technical director Tom Guillermin admitted that “many engine features don’t work on Switch 2,” and porting it would be a “major technical challenge.” The studio is monitoring the emergence of lightweight versions of technologies like Lumen Lite, but no specific timelines or promises have been made yet.
Finally, the studio’s DNA shouldn’t be forgotten. Broche makes no secret of the fact that he grew up on JRPGs: his first memory was Final Fantasy VIII on PS1, and Lost Odyssey became his benchmark for creating a realistic turn-based RPG. This homage to the Japanese school, coupled with a refusal to compromise and a deliberately compact approach, became the formula for success. Whether this formula will remain effective for the next, more “crazy” game remains to be seen. But the fact that Sandfall doesn’t intend to repeat itself and is willing to take risks clearly demonstrates that a 26-person indie studio is capable of dictating trends rather than following them.
