The $10 Million Masterpiece: Expedition 33 Budget Was Shockingly Small

In a world where blockbuster game budgets soar past $200 million, the breakout success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 just got even more impressive. A new report claims the critically acclaimed RPG was made on a budget of less than $10 million.

This figure, credited to developer Sandfall by The New York Times, highlights a growing shift in the industry: you don't need hundreds of millions of dollars to make a game-of-the-year contender.

Conserving Resources, Maximizing Impact

The report reveals that Sandfall’s team "conserved resources" by intentionally making Expedition 33 a linear, turn-based RPG and avoiding the massive scope of an open-world title.

Sandfall’s Guillaume Broche spoke about the viability of this model, suggesting this is the future of ambitious game development:

"Games like this are coming. We are lucky to be early," Broche said.

This philosophy aligns with what other successful indie creators are saying. Billy Basso, the developer of Animal Well, noted that he hopes to see "more straightforward games" and less pressure to "fill your game with hundreds of hours of checklist content".

A Smart, Lean Team

The development studio, Sandfall, kept its core team remarkably small, consisting of about 30 people. While the game's credits list hundreds of people due to outsourcing for things like battle animations (handled by a studio in Korea), marketing, and localization, the creative nucleus was undeniably tight-knit.

This small, focused structure allowed the team to deliver an incredibly high-quality experience that resonated with players and industry critics alike:

• Sales Success: The game has sold more than 5 million copies.

• Game Pass Record: It broke Xbox Game Pass records for a third-party title.

• Awards Magnet: It holds a record 12 nominations at The Game Awards, including the coveted Game of the Year.

• Pricing: The game also stood out for its more approachable price point of $50, instead of the common $70 price tag.

The success of Expedition 33 serves as a powerful counter-argument to the industry trend of ballooning budgets and increasing monetization pressure, proving that focused vision and creative integrity can still lead to massive commercial success.

What do you think is more important for a game's success: a huge budget or a focused vision like Sandfall's?