Clair Obscur's Studio Isn't Worried Whether You Like Its Second Game

Sandfall Interactive founder and director Guillaume Broche says the studio's unannounced second game may not connect with everyone, and he sounds comfortable with that. His remarks came in an interview for Video Game Club on the Konbini YouTube channel, spotted by Eurogamer, and count as only the second time Sandfall has hinted at what follows Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

"Maybe people won't like it. That's life. We didn't make the first game to please anyone, and I think that's why it worked."

— Guillaume Broche

Broche directed Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the turn-based RPG that became the passionate project of 2025 and then a commercial run that few small studios reach. The game sold 8 million in one year by its first anniversary in April, collected three BAFTA wins and a DICE game of the year award, and passed Elden Ring to hold the most GOTY awards of any title. It also led the Game Developers' Choice Awards with eight nominations and drew public acknowledgement from the French president.

That record raises the stakes on a sophomore game, and Sandfall keeps brushing the pressure aside. Chief operating officer and production director François Meurisse said early this year, after the studio dominated The Game Awards 2025, that the pressure was "not so important" to the team, which already had ideas it was "excited to explore." Lead writer Jennifer Svedberg-Yen framed the studio's approach the same way Broche does now.

"I've seen too many TV shows and books be swayed trying to please a lot of people, and in the process you end up losing the heart of what's there."

— Jennifer Svedberg-Yen

The first game leaned on clear reference points. Broche has cited Persona 5 for its camera work and UI, and Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon for folding quick-time inputs into turn-based rounds. That combination pushed turn-based combat back into the mainstream, picking up a thread Larian had carried with Baldur's Gate 3. Kepler published Clair Obscur, but Sandfall kept its independence and control over its projects, and the RPG grew far larger than its founders first planned without losing its shape.

I read Broche's shrug as the healthiest thing a studio can say right now, while Xbox braces for a reset that could shutter studios and lean on brands like Halo and Call of Duty, and 007 First Light developer IO Interactive sheds staff after investment was pulled. Broche has form for saying what he thinks; in the same interview series, he admitted he was not excited about GTA 6, calling it a project he respects for scale but stops enjoying after the first half hour.

The sales math backs the case for new work over familiar franchises. Final Fantasy 16's lifetime total is estimated at 4.5 million at the very most, and Clair Obscur has been out for less time with at least a million more copies sold. Baldur's Gate 3 and the viral Meccha Chameleon point the same way: audiences will follow new studios building new experiences rather than another entry in a fading series.

What the second game actually is remains unknown. Broche has named Final Fantasy 8 as his favorite game of all time, which gives anyone reading the tea leaves a starting point. I want the next project to revive the Active Time Battle system that ran from Final Fantasy 4 until Final Fantasy 10, since a cast of characters with distinct gimmicks inside an ATB setup would push Sandfall's combat somewhere the first game only gestured toward.

Previously, Chief Operating Officer and production director François Meurisse said the pressure from fans and critics was "not so important" to the team, which already had ideas it was eager to explore and expected to need time before focusing on the next project.

For now, Sandfall has offered ideas and an attitude rather than a reveal. Its message has not changed since the studio swept the awards run last winter: trust the internal vision and let players react once the game exists.

Read also how it was: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 marked its Game of the Year win at The Game Awards with a free DLC expansion, adding a new playable zone near Lumiere called Verso's Drafts, tougher Endless Tower fights, fresh costumes, a full Photo Mode, and quality-of-life fixes across all platforms.