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The game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 isn't just an impressive GOTY candidate, it’s also a huge commercial success. Studio the development team along with publisher Kepler Interactive revealed that the game topped 5 million units in sales, this is in spite of its status as a day-one release on Xbox Game Pass.

The game's performance came as quite a shock to the developers. I firmly believed that we'd create an enjoyable experience that would meet moderate sales results,” a key executive commented.

The CTO and lead programmer pointed out the game's Metacritic rating, which currently sits at 93, was “maybe the biggest shock to the studio relative to “our initial expectations and what the reality of the field was. Once it was published the entire team were cheering loudly. It felt absolutely wild.”

This triumph resulted in Sandfall developing new free content for players with a new environment, enemies, plus epic encounters, which they said will release sometime soon.

Nevertheless, as the title expands, don’t expect the team will expand. “We have a talented crew under clear creative leadership with a clear direction for this game and future concepts. Our goal is to maintain the close-knit size that led to our success then develop one big game after another,” the executive noted.

The size of Sandfall generated significant conversation when the game came out. Some developers, including renowned designers, considered the development group as a perfect example for creative teams. Although the team is and was indeed a small team next to major studios, checking Expedition 33’s credits shows that many individuals worked on it; the French studio contracted a Korean team for animation work, as an instance.

“Some hiring will occur a little more for sure when facing an increase in development in the coming years,” the producer said. “Yet I picture more of a workshop comprising a handful exceptionally gifted creators that can make a work of art together.” It was stated that Sandfall’s vision as a company “aims to keep the strengths that enabled this success in the first place.”

Although it's not the right time to reveal exact details what’s next — rest assured, I attempted to learn more — the developers understand their essential identity. “Turn-based gameplay, forms the foundation of what we built,” they said. “It's still premature to specify future passions, yet we must to adhere to the DNA of studio featuring rich storytelling and engaging mechanics that excites us.”

The lead programmer mentioned that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 began with the creative director pursuing his ideal project. It is hoped this approach we will be able to do in coming projects.”