In a surprising turn of events, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been officially disqualified from the Indie Game Awards 2025. Despite being the night's biggest winner, the game was stripped of its titles after developer Sandfall Interactive confirmed that generative AI was used during its development. Six One Indie, the organizers of the show, announced that the retracted awards will now go to the runners-up.
This decision highlights the growing tension in the industry regarding AI. While some leaders like Daniel Vávra of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 have defended AI's use in conceptual phases, others like Bruce Straley (co-director of The Last of Us) remain firmly against it. This divide eventually led the team at Six One Indie to enforce their strict no-AI policy.
Why Expedition 33 Lost Its Awards
The disqualification centers on a breach of the awards' nomination rules. According to Six One Indie, Sandfall Interactive initially agreed that no generative AI was used in the game's production. However, on the day of the showcase (December 18), producer Francois Meurisse confirmed that the technology had been utilized.
Retracted Awards: Debut Game and Game of the Year.
New Winners: Sorry We're Closed (Debut Game) and Blue Prince (Game of the Year).
The AI Assets: The developers stated that AI was only used for placeholder textures that were eventually patched out, but the Indie Game Awards committee ruled that any use violates their eligibility requirements.
Record-Breaking Run at The Game Awards 2025
Despite the controversy at the indie-specific show, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 remains the reigning champion of the broader industry. Just days earlier, the game dominated The Game Awards 2025, setting a new record for the most wins in a single night.
Expedition 33 took home 9 awards from 12 nominations:
Game of the Year
Best Game Direction
Best Narrative
Best Art Direction
Best Music and Score (Lorien Testard)
Best Performance (Jennifer English)
Best Role Playing Game
Best Independent Game
Best Debut Indie Game
A Crossroads for the Industry
The revelation has sparked a massive debate among fans and developers. Many point to the fact that even Larian Studios (developers of Baldur's Gate 3) recently faced backlash for discussing AI use in the development of their next project.
While Sandfall Interactive maintains they are against "creative" AI replacing human artists, the disqualification proves that award bodies are beginning to draw hard lines. The industry now faces a strange reality where a game can be celebrated as a masterpiece on one stage while being disqualified on another for the exact same development tools.
Would you like me to look into the specific rules other major award shows are implementing regarding generative AI for 2026?
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