Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 kicked down over use of AI generated assets

[igor_kavinski]

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Loses Indie Game Awards Wins Over AI Use

The Indie Game Awards has previously taken a stance against the use of generative AI, confirming that games that used generative AI during the development process are not eligible for consideration for any awards. Now, it has upheld that stance, with a new announcement from the IGA's Nomination...

www.techpowerup.com

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, a representative of Sandfall Interactive agreed that no gen AI was used in the development of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. In light of a resurfaced interview with Sandfall Interactive confirming the use of gen AI art in production being brought to our attention on the day of the Indie Game Awards 2025 premiere, this does disqualify Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from its nomination. While the assets in question were patched out and it is a wonderful game, it does go against the regulations we have in place. As a result, the IGAs nomination committee has agreed to officially retract both the Debut Game and Game of the Year awards.

Each award will be going to the next highest-ranked game in its respective category:

Debut Game: Sorry We're Closed

Game of the Year: Blue Prince

Sounds kinda unfair when the assets in question were patched out.

 

[Grimlakin]

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Loses Indie Game Awards Wins Over AI Use

The Indie Game Awards has previously taken a stance against the use of generative AI, confirming that games that used generative AI during the development process are not eligible for consideration for any awards. Now, it has upheld that stance, with a new announcement from the IGA's Nomination...

www.techpowerup.com

Sounds kinda unfair when the assets in question were patched out.

I have to agree. Seems an odd move. Hopefully there was no financial reward from the publisher.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Feels like one of those have cake and eat it situations.

COE33 was getting some blow back about being in the indie category, then some news bubbles up that AI was used as a placeholder, then the awards use that as a pretext to backtrack and reassign some awards.

Feel bad for The Alters though, guess no game award for those guys with their AI text placeholders that got patched out.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Hopefully there was no financial reward from the publisher.

It is estimated they moved 200K more copies than expected after the game awards. Nice bump regardless of the takesie bascksies. With over five million total copies sold, I think everyone involved has made some serious bank.