Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the work of Sandfall Interactive, a French studio founded in October 2020 at Montpellier.
A core team of about thirty in-house staff, spread across seven departments and supported by international service providers, has succeeded in creating one of the best RPGs of 2025. Here's what's really behind this project.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 : A French team at the heart of the project
Sandfall Interactive was co-founded by Guillaume Broche, who is now CEO and creative director. He is the studio’s public face—the one you most often see in interviews. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the very first game from the team, and for a first attempt, the result is impressive.
Since its release in April 2025, the game has received very high ratings and ranks among the highest-rated games on Metacritic of the year.
The system of fight and the depth of the characters were particularly popular with players. This global success even earned the studio public congratulations, including from the President of the Republic.
Here are the members of each department who built this game.
Management and Creation Department
- Guillaume Broche : CEO and Creative Director
- François Meurisse : COO and Executive Producer
- Tom Guillermin : CTO and Lead Programmer
- Jennifer Svedberg-Yen : Head of Writing
Design Team
- Michel Nohra : Director of Game Design
- Thomas Frappart : game designer
- Thibault Leblan : level designer
- Victor Deleard : Junior Level Designer and Quest Designer
Programming Team
- Florian Torres : Senior Gameplay Programmer
- Jérôme Vaglienti : engine programmer
- Victor Boulez : Gameplay and Interface Programmer
Art and Environment Team
- Nicholas Maxson-Francombe : artistic director
- Carla Deveze : Director of Environments
- Mathieu Costat : artist specializing in sets and props
- Alexandre Breton : technical artist
Characters, VFX and Kinematics Team
It is this part of the team that brings the characters and their animations, a real highlight of the game. The dubbing and the direction of the cutscenes relies heavily on their work.
- Alan Reynaud : character director
- Amandine Marest : character artist (hair and technique)
- Armande Lecointre : artist, characters, technique
- Léo Paris : visual effects artist
- William Tomasi : cinematic artist
- Tristan Fleury : cutscene animator
- Butrint Zeqiri : video capture and editing
Audio Team
The soundtrack, which has been widely praised by critics, was composed by Lorien Testard. The’game album quickly attracted attention far beyond the gaming world. Alice Duport-Percier She, for her part, handles the singing and vocal arrangements.
- Lorien Testard : principal composer
- Maxance Playez : lead sound designer
- Olivier Penchenier : Technical Sound Designer
- Raphaël Joffres : music director and audio supervisor
- Victor Desrat : sound designer intern
- Charlie Brière : sound designer intern
- Alice Duport-Percier : singer and vocal composer
Production and Operations Team
- Benjamin Dimanche : Marketing and Product Launch Manager
- Vincent Constantin-Turki : associate producer
- Émilie Perez : Administration and Office Manager
- Naja Dalmagne : QA Tester Intern
- Monoco : Happiness Manager
The characters created by this French team
Behind every character in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Behind them lie specific creative choices made by the studio’s art team and game designers. Here are the main playable characters that this team has designed.
Gustave is the starting character—the one you play from the very beginning. As a leader, he has a well-rounded combat style, capable of dealing solid damage while also providing support to the team.
Maelle is one of the most powerful characters when it comes to dealing damage. Her weapon and offensive abilities make her a key choice for any attack-focused build. She excels in battles against boss and tough enemies.
Sciel is a versatile support character. His strength lies in tower management and his ability to buff his allies. A good build centered around Sciel can turn the tide of a tough fight.
Monoco plays a special role in the expedition. This unique character, who has become the studio's mascot, brings a touch of lightheartedness to a dark world. Learn about Monoco's full range of services in the game
Guides and builds to help you progress in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
The team at Sandfall Interactive has designed a deep combat system where every choice you make regarding your build and weapon really matters. Here are the keys to progressing effectively.
The Basics of the Combat System
Each character has action items to manage on each turn. The goal is to optimize your team's attack and power to deal maximum damage to enemies and boss.
The pictograms play a central role in your progress. Each icon unlocks additional abilities and helps strengthen your playstyle. Choosing the right icons from the start of the game completely changes how effective your builds are.
The lumina is the main resource for improving your characters' abilities. Managing your Lumina wisely is the key to a build that will hold up over time.
Strategies by Character
Gustave : His ideal build combines mid-range weapons with attacks that inflict burn status on enemies. Burn is a useful status effect against boss, as it deals additional damage each turn.
Maelle : Play her as a main attacker. Her best build relies on high-damage weapons and icons that boost her offensive power. She can deal critical damage very quickly if you optimize her stats.
Sciel : Her support role is enhanced by builds focused on speed bonuses and action point management. She allows the entire team to take turns more often, which is a decisive advantage in long battles.
Monoco : a unique character who can surprise you in certain situations. His role evolves as the expedition progresses, and he’s worth paying attention to right from the early levels.
Team Roster for boss
To defeat the toughest boss enemies, the best strategy combines a main attacker (such as Maelle), a supporting character (such as Sciel) and a third character capable of dealing elemental damage.
This team composition allows you to maintain constant pressure while taking advantage of status effects like burn.
The back side of each character also plays a key role in managing the boss. The back side determines which passive abilities are active during combat and can radically change the pace of a difficult battle.
Check out our guides on the history and world of Clair Obscur Expedition 33 to better understand the context of each expedition.
The aid received by Sandfall Interactive in the development of the game
A game available on multiple platforms A project of this magnitude usually involves hundreds of developers. So how Sandfall Interactive pulled off this coup with a such a small team ? The answer can be summed up in one word: partners.
The French team remained at the heart of the project, but it relied on several external service providers to bring it to life Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. This also had a direct impact on the development budget overall game experience.
Among the main external contributors:
- A Korean team of eight, in charge of the’gameplay animation, a key element of the final result.
- Regarding the Polish teams dedicated to the QA testing (bug hunting).
- Regarding the outside musicians and numerous contributors listed in the credits.
In total, several hundreds of contributors participated, if we include all service providers. The end credits confirms this: you'll see far more than thirty names scroll by.
Haven't started the game yet? Discover the story of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 before you dive right in.
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