Sandfall Interactive has a lot on its plate after the breakout success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which emerged as one of 2025’s biggest hits. This debut J’RPG not only swept multiple awards but also captured the hearts of a rapidly growing fan base. With so much buzz surrounding them, the question looms—how will the team follow up on this triumph? Fortunately, instead of bending to audience expectations, they’re leaning into what they find cool.
In a recent chat with Edge magazine for issue 419, François Meurisse, COO and production director of Sandfall Interactive, acknowledged that while there’s certainly some pressure from fans and critics regarding their next project, “it’s not so important to us.” He mentioned that the team is eager to dive deeper into game development with newfound experience, saying, “We have some great ideas we’re so excited to explore, and we don’t start from the same point. The team already has five more years of experience. So maybe we can do some great stuff.”
Echoing Meurisse’s sentiments is lead writer Jennifer Svedberg-Yen, who shared her inner struggle as a “bit of a people pleaser.” She admitted, “It’s always in the back of my mind that we have a lot of fans now,” bringing along certain expectations. Yet, despite this awareness, she emphasized that their creative compass has always been rooted in personal taste. “Creatively, we’ve always let our North Star be our own personal taste in terms of what we think is cool, what it is we enjoy and want to see,” she added. Jennifer recalled how many creative works falter when they prioritize trying to satisfy a broader audience, ultimately losing their unique essence.
Clearly, this approach paid off with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The creative director, Guillaume Broche, remarked that before launch, the team collectively thought, “it’s not going to be big, it’s going to be cool.” He described it as a “weird feeling,” reflecting on how vulnerable it is to put your heart into a project and then witness the overwhelming positivity from players.
As the studio gears up for its next game, all eyes are on them, but here’s hoping they maintain the spark that made Clair Obscur so special. After all, before sweeping major awards, it was a calculated risk aiming for an 80 Metacritic score that turned into a phenomenon.