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The game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 isn't just an impressive Game of the Year contender, it’s also a massive financial hit. Studio the development team and publisher Kepler Interactive revealed that this title topped five million copies in sales, this is even with it being a launch-day addition through the Game Pass service.

Its success was a shock to Sandfall. I firmly believed that we'd create a solid title that would meet some average commercial success,” a senior team member stated.

Another leading developer remarked that Clair Obscur’s Metacritic rating, now standing at 93, came as the greatest surprise” to the team versus what we anticipated and what the reality turned out to be. Because when it dropped everybody in the studio were cheering loudly. It was really frantic.”

This triumph has led to the studio creating a free update for the game featuring fresh areas, adversaries, and boss fights, reportedly is coming sometime soon.

However, despite the game's evolution, it's unlikely they'll hire extensively. “We have a talented crew with a strong creative director who has a great vision for the project and future concepts. We intend to preserve the close-knit size that made this possible and perhaps create major titles sequentially,” they added.

The studio's scale sparked a storm of discussion following launch. Certain industry figures, like Hideo Kojima, looked at Sandfall’s team as the “ideal” for game development. Despite being relatively lean next to major studios, checking the title's staff list shows that many individuals were involved; the French studio hired a team in Korea handling movement and effects, as an instance.

“We plan to recruit a little more for sure should there be an increase in development in the coming years,” the executive said. “But I would see essentially a craft studio of a few highly skilled individuals capable of producing artistic collaborations.” It was stated that their core belief as developers “focuses on preserving the successful elements that led to this accomplishment in the first place.”

Despite being not the right time to reveal exact details what’s next — and trust me, efforts were made — they are certain what’s at its core. “The turn-based aspect, I think it's in the DNA of our creations,” the lead programmer remarked. “The timing isn't right to be able to tell future passions, however, it's crucial to remain faithful to our studio's essence featuring rich storytelling and the interesting gameplay that excites us.”

The lead programmer noted that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 started with the creative director pursuing his ideal project. We aspire that's something we can continue with upcoming games.”