As discussion about the use of generative AI in game development continues, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 developer Sandfall Interactive is the latest company to have faced related controversy. While the title managed to sweep The Game Awards 2025 in terms of winning awards, the studio was recently disqualified from the recent Indie Game Awards owing to its use of generative AI.
The use of AI was specifically noted as being leftover placeholder assets that were being used internally, and that the studio had missed out on replacing it with real artwork made by artists. As caught by IGN, studio co-founder and producer François Meurisse discussed the use of AI in an interview with El País all the way back in July.
“We use some AI, but not much. The key is that we were very clear about what we wanted to do and what to invest in. And, of course, technology has allowed us to do things that were unthinkable a short time ago. Unreal Engine 5’s tools and assets have been very important in improving the graphics, gameplay, and cinematics,” said Muerisse at the time.
As for the Indie Game Awards, a statement by its judges noted that there is a strict stance regarding the use of generative AI in place. In keeping with this, Sandfall Interactive had also failed to disclose the use of generative AI in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. As a result of this, the title has been stripped of the two awards it had won at the event: Game of the Year and Debut game.
“The Indie Game Awards have a hard stance on the use of gen AI throughout the nomination process and during the ceremony itself,” said the Indie Game Awards in a statement. “When it was submitted for consideration, a representative of Sandfall Interactive agreed that no gen AI was used in the development of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. In light of Sandfall Interactive confirming the use of gen AI art in production on the day of the Indie Game Awards 2025 premiere, this does disqualify Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from its nomination. While the assets in question were patched out and it is a wonderful game, it does go against the regulations we have in place. As a result, the IGAs nomination committee has agreed to officially retract both the Debut Game and Game of the Year awards.”
With this statement having caused Meurisse’s statements to resurface when discussing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, El País has also updated its original article to include a statement from the studio. In this statement, the studio noted that it had “used a limited number of pre-existing assets, notably 3D assets sourced from the Unreal Engine Marketplace. None of these assets were created using artificial intelligence.”
“Sandfall Interactive further clarifies that there are no generative Al-created assets in the game,” continues the statement. “When the first Al tools became available in 2022, some members of the team briefly experimented with them to generate temporary placeholder textures. Upon release, instances of a placeholder texture were removed within five days to be replaced with the correct textures that had always been intended for release, but were missed during the Quality Assurance process.”
For more discussions on generative AI and its uses in game development, check out what has been said by veterans of the industry: Divinity director Swen Vincke, Kingdom Come: Deliverance director Daniel Vávra, and Metal Gear Solid series creator Hideo Kojima.
