Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 wins 7 titles at Golden Joystick Awards, tying with Baldur's Gate 3 – and Larian boss Swen Vincke approves: "Definitely deserved"

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It's the era of the turn-based RPG, eh?

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 screenshot of Verso, a man with black hair with white streaks running through his fringe
(Image credit: Kepler Interactive)

The Golden Joystick Awards saw a variety of exciting new games from 2025 rewarded last night, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was certainly no exception – in fact, the game tied with another turn-based RPG for the record of most awards bagged at the event.

That turn-based RPG is none other than Baldur's Gate 3, a game that arguably changed the genre forever with its reception and reach (heck, I'm still replaying it to this day, and it came out two years ago). Back in 2023, the Dungeons & Dragons-inspired title beat out the record of six Golden Joystick wins that The Last of Us 2 previously held, snagging a solid seven itself, from Best Storytelling to Game of the Year.

Baldur's Gate 3 director and Larian Studios lead Swen Vincke approves of the wins matching his own from a couple of years back, shouting out Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Sandfall Interactive in a new online post. Responding to the Golden Joystick account's announcement that the French game has been crowned Ultimate Game of the Year, Vincke writes, "Nice! Definitely deserved. Felicitations, Sandfall Games!!!!"

It's certainly a wholesome interaction – but it doesn't come as much of a surprise. The Baldur's Gate 3 mastermind recently reacted positively to The Game Awards 2025 nominations as well, where Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is up for a plethora of titles, calling them "proof" that the industry still recognizes "passion" – regardless of the "budget or who is making it." The director's past posts highlight his sincerity as well.

Here's hoping Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 musters up even more wins next month, come The Game Awards – and perhaps Sandfall Interactive will end up like Larian Studios, saying their game won so many awards it started to "affect development" afterward.

The Witcher legend Doug Cockle agrees "there's so many great games this year," but Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the highlight: "It's such a beautifully written game, and beautifully conceived and achieved."

Anna Koselke
Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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