Great though Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is, there's been some discourse over the game's positioning. Among the many plaudits it's received are nods for being an indie game, a distinction that’s been contested due to the level of funding and resources the team received. Developer Sandfall believes it's a valid label, despite having a strong publisher.
"We feel like we are an independent company, but we get a lot of support from Kepler, a lot more than other indie games get," Nicholas Maxson-Francombe, art director on Clair Obscur, tells Edge. "It feels definitely like those games might deserve it more, especially since we're nominated in so many categories. But, at heart, we're indie."
Having released Scorn and Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn among several other projects of varying scope, Kepler Interactive is not exactly a meager company. Smaller than triple-A publishers, sure, and with plenty of room to grow, but Expedition 33 benefited from a considerable PR machine. But Sandfall maintains there was an understanding about the process between the two businesses.
"We created the game with an indie spirit, with a small team, with great creative liberty and no parent company or even the publisher giving us orders," Francois Meurisse, producer on Clair Obscur, adds. "We also chose a publisher that has a really indie mindset, that puts the creative first."
Sandfall is happy to be in strong company within the indie sphere, the Best Independent Game and Best Debut Indie Game with the likes of Blue Prince, Dispatch, and Hollow Knight: Silksong. Even among those, you have varied backgrounds, ranging from industry veterans to the whole team being just one person.
It's difficult to establish criteria that can't be bent or broken in some way or another. Perhaps we should just be glad Clair Obscur exists at all, and that Sandfall gets to continue making delightful games well into the future.
