In an era where every breakout title seems to trigger a race toward AAA budgets, massive studio hires, and bloated sequels, Sandfall Interactive is choosing to walk the unbeaten path. Their debut game, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, released in April 2025, stunned critics and gamers alike. With its surreal art direction, emotional storytelling, and inventive turn-based combat, it wasn’t just another good RPG it was a statement.
And it hit hard.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 reached an eye-popping 3.3 million copies sold in just 33 days. That kind of success would typically cause any small studio to start printing expansion roadmaps and setting up recruitment drives. But Sandfall isn’t interested in that trajectory at least not yet.
In a recent interview, Tom Guillermin, Sandfall’s chief technical officer and lead programmer, confirmed that the studio has no plans to expand in response to the game’s commercial success. “I think it's better to have a small team for now,” Guillermin said. His view reflects a growing sentiment in the industry: not every studio needs to balloon into a AAA machine to stay successful.
Joining him in the discussion was creative director Guillaume Broche, who echoed the same sentiment. He pointed out that the rise of powerful development tools like Unreal Engine 5 has empowered smaller teams to deliver high-caliber experiences without breaking the bank. “Producing AA games like ours will become more common because of bloating costs,” Broche explained. And it’s hard to argue with the results. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 feels like a passion project that was never bogged down by studio pressure or feature creep.
Many fans have been holding out hope for additional content or DLC for the game. However, that does not appear to be on the cards either. Instead, the team at Sandfall seems laser-focused on continuing to polish the current release and making sure every update improves the core experience. No expansion packs. No rushed sequel announcements. Just a studio doing exactly what it set out to do tell a memorable story through gameplay that feels personal and strikingly unique.
Broche even drew comparisons to other compact hits like The Alters, emphasizing how new-age tools allow smaller studios to punch way above their weight. And clearly, Sandfall’s strategy is working.
With players still discovering the haunting beauty and existential themes of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the studio is playing it smart by taking their time rather than scaling too fast. It’s a lesson many in the industry could take to heart: sometimes staying small is how you keep creating big moments.
The road ahead for Sandfall Interactive remains shrouded in mystery, but the path they’re choosing is clearly intentional. No rush, no bloat, no compromise. And based on how fans have reacted to Expedition 33, it’s a move that might just redefine the AA category for years to come.
For more updates on Clair Obscur, indie RPGs, and everything that’s reshaping the gaming landscape, follow Gaming Moves on Instagram and Facebook. Your next favorite studio might just be the one that refuses to go big.
