Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Has Lost Game of the Year Award Because of AI

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from Sandfall Interactive has become a record-breaker during The Game Awards 2025 ceremony by winning nine awards out of twelve where the game was nominated. Recently, the game has won another Game of the Year award, but then something interesting has happened.

On December 18, The Indie Game Awards took place, and, as expected, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won in both categories—Game of the Year and Debut Game nominees. However, Six One Indie, the authors of the show, decided to change their minds and disqualify the game for using AI-generated content. Therefore, the Game of the Year award now belongs to the Blue Prince video game, while the Best Debut Game nomination is won by Sorry We’re Closed. An official statement from the organizers you can check below:

“The Indie Game Awards have a hard stance on the use of gen AI throughout the nomination process and during the ceremony itself. When it was submitted for consideration, representatives of Sandfall Interactive agreed that no gen AI was used in the development of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

In light of Sandfall Interactive confirming the use of gen AI on the day of the Indie Game Awards 2025 premiere, this does disqualify Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from its nomination.

“The organizational team behind the ceremony is a small crew with big ambitions, and The Indie Game Awards can only grow with your help and support. We already can’t wait for the 2026 ceremony!”

What do you think about the decision to withdraw Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from The Indie Game Awards? Share your thoughts in the comments below!