In a gaming landscape dominated by franchise reboots and remakes, it’s rare to see a brand-new intellectual property not only survive, but thrive. Yet that’s exactly what Sandfall Interactive has achieved with sales for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Just three days after launch, the game has already sold over one million copies, a feat made even more impressive considering its competition and the size of its development team.
Tomorrow has come.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is out now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam & Epic Games Store.
She will never paint again. pic.twitter.com/DFi4lOzgwh
— Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (@expedition33) April 24, 2025
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The studio, comprised largely of former Ubisoft developers, shared the exciting news directly with fans on social media. In a celebratory post on X, Sandfall Interactive wrote: “And here we are. Three days after launch. One million copies sold. Thank you for believing in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.”
And here we are.
Three days after launch.
One million copies sold.Thank you for believing in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. pic.twitter.com/92T2qZxcHP
— Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (@expedition33) April 27, 2025
Later, the team clarified the numbers in a follow-up message, explaining: “This number includes units shipped to retailers, and does not encompass our awesome GamePass players. Thank you all.”
The sales success of Expedition 33 comes despite launching shortly after the surprise “shadow drop” of Oblivion Remastered, a highly anticipated release that many feared would overshadow any competitors. However, Expedition 33 not only held its own, it flourished—winning critical acclaim, player loyalty, and even breaking into the top of both Metacritic and OpenCritic’s charts for 2025.
Words can’t fully express how we feel at the end of this week.
Tomorrow comes.
Thanks to you. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/yVhT559qzX
— Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (@expedition33) April 25, 2025
As stellar review scores continued to pour in, Sandfall expressed their gratitude to the community, stating: “Words can’t fully express how we feel at the end of this week. Tomorrow comes. Thanks to you. 🤝”
This humble response stands in stark contrast to the often boastful or defensive reactions seen from larger studios when launching major titles. Sandfall Interactive’s approach—gracious, appreciative, and sincere—has only endeared them further to fans.
A Game That Bucked the Trend
Much of the excitement around Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 stems from the fact that it is an entirely original creation.
A screenshot from the trailer to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – YouTube, IGN
In an industry increasingly criticized for churning out safe, formulaic content, Sandfall Interactive delivered something fresh: a turn-based RPG with a rich, emotional narrative, breathtaking art design, and tight, polished gameplay. Reviewers and players alike have praised the game’s “wholesome yet heartbreaking” story, the fluid combat mechanics, and the absence of significant technical issues at launch—a rarity in modern gaming.
Notably, the game’s success also undermines the often-repeated industry narrative that “turn-based RPGs are dead.” Expedition 33’s stellar user score on Metacritic—an impressive 9.7—suggests that there remains a strong appetite for this style of gameplay, provided it is executed with care and passion.
Outshining Its Origins
Adding to the achievement is the comparison to the developers’ former employer.
While Ubisoft’s recent releases—including Skull and Bones, Star Wars Outlaws, and Assassin’s Creed Shadows—have struggled with poor player reception and underwhelming concurrent player counts, Sandfall Interactive’s much smaller team has delivered a hit that has surpassed these massive AAA projects in both acclaim and engagement.
A screenshot from the trailer to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 showing off the game’s combat – YouTube, IGN
For example, while Assassin’s Creed Shadows peaked at under 65,000 concurrent players on Steam, Expedition 33 recently recorded a peak of 121,422 concurrent players—despite launching Day 1 on Xbox Game Pass. This performance demolishes the claim that Game Pass releases inherently dampen sales or engagement on other platforms.
The Power of Creative Freedom
Part of Sandfall’s sales success with Expedition 33 likely stems from their commitment to creative freedom. Unlike sprawling mega-studios where thousands of employees must align with a rigid corporate vision, Sandfall’s relatively small team was able to focus on a singular artistic goal. The result is a game that feels cohesive, heartfelt, and genuinely innovative.
Vara Dark, a YouTuber covering the game’s rise, summed it up perfectly: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is “not just a game—it is a wake-up call to AAA game companies everywhere that it is okay to take risks, to experiment, to be unorthodox, and to simply make a game they want to see made.”
A Bright Future for Sandfall Interactive
With its combination of critical acclaim, strong sales, and overwhelmingly positive player reception, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has established Sandfall Interactive as a studio to watch. Whether the team chooses to expand the world of Clair Obscur or tackle another original project, expectations will undoubtedly be sky-high.
A screenshot from the trailer to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – YouTube, IGN
For now, though, Sandfall Interactive deserves every bit of celebration. In an industry often criticized for playing it safe, Expedition 33 and its sales success proves that bold new ideas, executed with passion and respect for players, can still capture the imagination of the gaming world.
And based on the gratitude and humility they’ve shown so far, it’s safe to say that this is just the beginning of their journey.
Are you happy that Clair Obscura Expedition 33 achieved sales success? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
There have been sus things about this game including around 20% of the NPCs being black which is inaccurate for the time period, so it could very well be DEI.
As every legend tells, three tests now await:
1: You must prove that this wasn’t a fluke.
2: Do not succumb to others’ hate and envy. There’s nothing as poisonous and pathetic as IGN or Kotaku “journalists” or their henchmen.
3: Resist the lure of gold and comforts. It’s the same old story of snakes and apples. If Ubisoft knocks, have your crucifix ready.
Tread carefully: fail but one and you will doom yourself.
One of the likely reasons for its success over Oblivion Remastered: Bethesda didn’t bother re-releasing the game with a French version, as they did in 2006. So, many French players (or those who speak the language, including myself) largely preferred to turn to CO Expedition 33, which, in addition to being an excellent game, is 100% in French (voice and text!).
And I can buy CO Expedition 33 in physical format, even though the game isn’t actually on the disc, in order to support the studio, without having to resort to Microsoft’s shareholders (and its Game Pass). Whereas Oblivion Remaster imposes the 100% digital format, which I despise.
In any case, bravo to the small team (former Ubisoft employees, what a shame), this studio puts to shame companies like E.A. or Ubisoft and its recent AC Shadows, or all their AAA games worth several hundred million dollars, but developed by interns, often chosen for the color of their hair rather than their talent.
This Game is just so goated, i am loving It, and believe me there is not a single bit of “representation” of myself in the Game
How long before this studio is taken over by the woke mind virus, too? (If the game is already woke, then it’s a moot point).
I would argue they wont fall for It again, because those 30 Devs are the White Devs Ubisoft fired because DEI, soooo It would be stupid to fall for It again
But of course, people will scream “Look at all those hyper realistic graphics and colors”. I watched it on Youtube and it looked so meh. The thing is, no matter how much you push the graphics as much as you can, in the end, a game is merely as good as the fun you have. And this game is just meh.
The bar has been set so low that anything above average nowadays is being celebrated as a masterpiece.