Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Excluded from Grammy Awards 2026
Excellent soundtrack misses out on nominations
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the JRPG that marked the debut of the Sandfall team and was published by Kepler Interactive, quickly managed to win over and engage both the public and critics. The reasons for its success are obviously to be found on multiple levels: classic-flavored gameplay with various innovations, remarkable technical execution, first-rate artistic direction, a deep and original plot, and, not least, the excellently written soundtrack by Lorien Testard, which has already won several awards, including the Game Music Award at the World Soundtrack Awards.
In recent days, music enthusiasts eagerly awaited the publication of the nominations for the Grammy Awards 2026, the most prestigious accolades for authors and performers, considered the equivalent of the Oscars for music: practically everyone took for granted the presence of the game and the beautiful main theme Lumière, performed by the talented Alice Duport-Percier, and not a few even ventured to say that some of the golden gramophones could end up on Sandfall's shelf.
It will not be so.
In the list of nominations, published on the official website, Clair Obscure: Expedition 33, Lumière, and Lorien Testard do not appear in any category. Specifically, here are the entries for category 73, "Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media":
- Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - Secrets of the Spires - by Pinar Toprak
- Helldivers 2 - by Wilbert Roget, II
- Indiana Jones And The Great Circle - by Gordy Haab
- Star Wars Outlaws: Wild Card & A Pirate's Fortune - by Cody Matthew Johnson & Wilbert Roget, II
- Sword of the Sea - by Austin Wintory
Even searching through the many other categories, the names in question or any of the productions related to the game never appear.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33: The Exclusion Sparks Debate
Naturally, no one would dream [nor should they presume] to question the beauty and quality of the nominated soundtracks, to which we can only express our congratulations, but obviously the exclusion of such an acclaimed product is a bit strange and makes one wonder again what criteria [...or "pressures"?] are used to compile the list.
There was even someone, like Austin Wintory - already nominated several times for his work on Journey, Abzu, Assassin's Creed Syndicate, and The Banner Saga - who candidly admitted on his X profile that, while happy for the success of Sword of the Sea, he would have gladly given his nomination to Testard because he considers his work truly excellent.
Everything else, unfortunately, is just speculation and bar talk: the composition of the list of nominees is not a democratic operation, and the jury will have had its reasons for preferring the five selected titles over the French team's soundtrack - "reasons" that we are not privy to.
All that remains for us is the knowledge that Lumière and the entire soundtrack created by Lorien Testard for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 are a true masterpiece, and we await to see what other awards Sandfall's work may soon receive - for example, at the Video Games Award 2026.
And while we wait, we can reread our Review of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.