After Clair Obscur, the French studio have their sights set on something far less predictable.
After turning heads with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Sandfall Interactive is already thinking about what comes next. The French indie studio, which made its name blending painterly art with engaging, turn-based RPG combat, are looking to step away from just one genre for their next project.
Creative director Guillaume Broche told The Washington Post that the team doesn’t want to be limited creatively after the success of their debut. “We don’t want to be constrained by story, art style or gameplay in whatever we want to make next,” he said. “We just want it to feel authentic, and made with love.”
Sandfall’s next project aims to break free from genre labels
While Clair Obscur mixed turn-based systems with real-time parries, Broche hinted that Sandfall could explore new directions entirely. He cited his love of fast-paced action games like Devil May Cry and Nintendo’s Mario RPGs as inspirations behind Expedition 33’s signature parry system; a twist that kept players active even during enemy turns. Still, Broche stressed that their next game might move beyond both turn-based and action systems altogether.
During the studio’s summer tour of Japan, South Korea and China, Broche met developers including Final Fantasy producer Yoshinori Kitase and Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima; figures whose balance of artistry and design inspired Clair Obscur’s creation.
“I personally met pretty much all my heroes,” he said, calling the experience “a very big honour.”
How Sandfall tackled Unreal Engine 5’s performance challenges
Expedition 33 also stood out for its strong technical performance, a rarity among Unreal Engine 5 titles. Lead programmer Adrien Guillermin told The Washington Post that the team started focusing on optimisation months before launch, identifying bottlenecks early to ensure smooth console performance. He credited Epic Games’ documentation and publisher Kepler Interactive’s QA support for helping them “ship a game with relatively few stuttering issues,” something they see as “a small source of pride.”
Broche declined to reveal how much Clair Obscur cost to make, saying only that it sits “on the lower end of the AA spectrum.” That lean approach mirrors Sandfall’s design philosophy: small, soulful, and human.
The game’s emotionally charged ending also drew intense debate among players, which Broche welcomes. He clarified that the story’s ambiguity was intentional. “If you don’t [connect with the world and characters], it means we failed as writers,” he said.
Sandfall plans to remain independent and selective
Sandfall is also collaborating with film production company Story Kitchen on a film adaptation of Expedition 33, though Broche said talks with studios are still in the early stages. For now, life at their Montpellier office remains quiet, and it intends to keep it that way.
“The normal path for any company when they get to be successful like this is to say, ‘Let’s grow bigger and hire more people,’” Broche explained. “That’s not the route we want to go. We want to remain a kind of small art house.”
It’s a mindset that sets them apart in a year marked by layoffs, price hikes and studio closures. “It’s easier when you have a small team to keep a very strong sense of authorship and vision,” Broche added. “Some AAA games still have that soul, but it’s harder to maintain.”
For now, Sandfall is keeping busy with Clair Obscur’s free “thank you” update, which adds new enemies, late-game bosses, and extra languages. Composer Lorien Testard also has an orchestral concert tour, celebrating a soundtrack streamed over 300 million times.
