While recently-released RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been quite successful for developer Sandfall Interactive, CEO Guillaume Broche has revealed why the studio didn’t go with a larger publisher to work on the game.
Speaking to French content creator Pouce Café, Broche revealed that, despite having worked with Ubisoft in the past as a brand development manager and narrative lead, he made the decision to go out on his own and found a new studio for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
In the interview, Broche mentions that, since the game was going to be an original IP, there would have been quite a bit of pushback from the bureaucracy that often exists in larger companies like Ubisoft.
“Yeah, very clearly. Projects like these—with new IPs, original stories, completely original characters—are super hard to push through in a big company,” said Broche (transcription via Mp1st). “There are a lot of approval steps, and in general, in big structures, you already have to have proven yourself and be pretty high up in the hierarchy just to have a chance at pitching this kind of project.”
Broche believes that, had Sandfall Interactive worked with a larger publisher, there would have been enough roadblocks in the studio’s way that the game would have ultimately taken “25 years” to develop. He also cites the studio wanting to have its own way of doing things rather than being beholden to a larger company for things like a corporate culture.
“So yeah, for me, a project like this would’ve taken 25 years to make in a big company,” said Broche. “And I don’t have that much patience. We also wanted to do things our own way and really create an atmosphere. That’s what this game is—creating a vibe.”
“And I think if we succeeded, it’s also because we did things right. We got some really nice offices, with a big garden—we play pétanque every lunchtime, which even shows up in the game. To create a game that feels passionate, we really needed that ‘group of friends making something together’ vibe.”
Broche believes that this would only have been possible if Sandfall Interactive were to remain an indie studio. He also points out that the fact that the studio is quite small, numbering at around 25 employees, helps with the internal culture as well since everyone tends to know everyone else.
“That’s something you can really only do in an indie studio,” explained Broche. “The game might seem big, but here in Montpelier, we’re only 25 people. We all know each other well. So yeah, it’s much harder to pull something like this off in a big studio than in a small one. But starting your own studio is super hard too—it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a lot of work. As a founder, you get very few vacations and sleepless nights for a few years. But it’s worth it. Totally worth it.”
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The title is also available through PC and Xbox Game Pass. For more details, check out our review. Also check out why we believe the game serves as a wake-up call for game publishers.
