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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's director reveals it isn't just the fans arguing over which is the "good" ending: "That’s something we've had a lot of arguments about in the team too!"

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By Scott McCrae published 11 December 2025

He thinks your preference is "related to your own personal experiences in real life"

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
(Image credit: Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 creative director Guillaume Broche has assured fans it's not only all of you arguing about the game's endings – the team argued about it, too.

This article contains story spoilers for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's endings.

Those of you who have reached the end of Expedition 33 will already know that it comes down to a conflict where Maelle and Verso want to save or erase the painted world for their own reasons. Maelle's ending is happy in the sense that everyone survives, Gustave is back, and Maelle doesn't need to deal with the poor quality of life she struggles with in the real world.

But, there's an air of unease about it, and it carries some horrific implications for Maelle's future. Meanwhile, Verso's ending is more outwardly sad in the sense that everyone is erased, but Maelle lives her life as Alicia and presumably comes to terms with things.

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  • Clair Obscure Expedition 33 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead says the secret of the J'RPG's success is to "not care too much about the players"
  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead says "anyone who's a fan of our story" should read the French novel that inspired it

As both endings are pretty bleak, fans have argued about which is the "good" ending. Maelle and Verso's actors both agree on liking Maelle's the best (although in Verso actor Ben Starr's case, it's "because I really like my acting in it"), and even the developers have been part of the discourse, with Broche being no exception.

Speaking to GameSpot, the lead is asked if there is one true or "good" ending to the game, to which he reveals, "That’s something we've had a lot of arguments about in the team too!"

Broche explains, "I think your reaction to the endings, and which one is the 'good' ending, is super subjective and related to your own personal experiences in real life." He gives props to lead writer Jennifer Svedberg-Yen and "our amazing mocap and voice actors" for how impactful the finales are, adding, "sometimes there is no clear 'good' or 'bad' choice in life that everyone will be happy with, and living within the gray, and those complex choices, are what make us real people."

And, in a diplomatic move, Broche adds, "Ultimately, what matters is your own interpretation of the ending and of the story."

As Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Monoco actor gets nominated for a BAFTA Award alongside 3 more of the RPG's cast members, he has only one thing to say: "F**k"

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Scott McCrae
Scott McCrae
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Scott has been freelancing for over three years across a number of different gaming publications, first appearing on GamesRadar+ in 2024. He has also written for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, VG247, Play, TechRadar, and others. He's typically rambling about Metal Gear Solid, God Hand, or any other PS2-era titles that rarely (if ever) get sequels.

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