Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 actor Jennifer English is shocked to win at Golden Joystick Awards, delivers hopeful speech that will make you cry for a week: "I chose queer joy"

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"Oh my God!"

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
(Image credit: Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 actor Jennifer English would not have been able to win Best Lead Performer at the Golden Joystick Awards without her bright-burning superpower: queer joy.

"Oh my God!" English says after accepting her award ("Karlach approves," said English's Baldur's Gate 3 castmate Samantha Béart while presenting the accolade). "I didn't think of a speech because I didn't think I was going to win, because I'm nominated alongside some industry titans. And oh, thank you so much everyone, every single one of you for voting."

You can watch the emotional moment in its entirety below. With sparkles in her eyes, and girlfriend Aliona Baranova – who met English while assisting PitStop Productions with performance directing on Baldur's Gate 3 – happily weeping in the audience, English emphasizes the importance of living a life that pleases you.

Jennifer English WINS the Golden Joystick award for Best Lead Performer - YouTube Jennifer English WINS the Golden Joystick award for Best Lead Performer - YouTube
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"Maelle embarks on this crazy journey," she says about her young character, an orphan eager to discover her purpose. "She chooses to leave a life that wasn't serving her. And I did that a few years ago. And I chose, instead, a life that was authentic, a life that was gay."

"I fell in love with a beautiful woman," English gushes, "who's crying her eyes out right now – it's really funny. And I chose queer joy. As a result of that queer joy, I felt safe enough to pour my grief, and pain, and all that nonsense – and joy, and love – into this incredibly beautifully written character. And I am so proud of that, and I just want to thank queer joy for that."

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is your Ultimate Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards 2025, because of course it is.

Ashley Bardhan
Ashley Bardhan
Senior Writer

Ashley is a Senior Writer at GamesRadar+. She's been a staff writer at Kotaku and Inverse, too, and she's written freelance pieces about horror and women in games for sites like Rolling Stone, Vulture, IGN, and Polygon. When she's not covering gaming news, she's usually working on expanding her doll collection while watching Saw movies one through 11.

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