Shūhei Yoshida, the former head of PlayStation Studios, highlighted Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 in a PlayStation Inside interview, suggesting it`s a game other development teams should look to as an example. He praised the French JRPG for successfully blending ambition, a limited budget, and an independent development strategy.
Developed by Sandfall Interactive, a studio with just 33 core employees, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 also significantly utilized outsourced specialists. Hundreds of external contributors, ranging from testers to voice actors, worked on the project, bringing the total number credited to 412.
Yoshida believes the gaming industry should more frequently consider such development models, demonstrating that high-quality titles are achievable even with relatively modest resources. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 proved to be a notable release of the spring, reportedly exceeding one million units sold/players and being available on Game Pass from its launch day.
Finley Holt