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The game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 isn't just a strong GOTY contender, it’s also an enormous sales triumph. Studio Sandfall Interactive along with publisher Kepler Interactive revealed that this title topped five million copies in sales, this is despite it being a launch-day addition through the Game Pass service.

Its success came as quite a shock to Sandfall. I firmly believed that we would have an enjoyable experience that would meet moderate market performance,” a key executive stated.

The CTO and lead programmer noted the game's Metacritic rating, which currently sits at 93, came as the most surprising moment for everyone versus “our initial expectations and what the reality proved to be. Once it was published everybody in the studio celebrated excitedly. The energy was electric.”

That success has led to the studio creating a complimentary expansion for the game featuring fresh areas, foes, along with challenging bosses, as announced is coming in the next few months.

That said, while the game is growing, it's unlikely they'll hire extensively. Our team includes a great team with a strong creative director possessing strong ideas for this game plus upcoming innovations. We'd like to keep the close-knit size that worked for this game and perhaps create one big game after another,” the executive said.

The size of Sandfall sparked a storm of discussion following launch. Some developers, like Hideo Kojima, viewed this studio as a perfect example for creative teams. Although the team is and was truly compact versus large developers, checking the title's staff list shows that dozens of people participated; the French studio partnered with overseas animators for animation work, to illustrate.

“We will hire slightly more certainly when facing next an upcoming production peak down the line,” the executive stated. “But I would see more of a workshop of a few exceptionally gifted creators that create a work of art together.” It was stated that Sandfall’s vision as a studio “focuses on preserving the strengths that made this achievement possible from the start.”

Despite being not the right time to reveal exact details regarding upcoming titles — rest assured, I attempted to learn more — the developers understand what’s at its core. “The turn-based aspect, forms the foundation of this project,” a developer remarked. “The timing isn't right to announce future passions, however, it's crucial to adhere to the DNA of studio through compelling worlds plus innovative play that inspires the team.”

The developer noted how this game began with their director pursuing his ideal project. We aspire that philosophy we can continue as well for future productions.”