Clair Obscur Wins Another GOTY, But It's Revoked Due to AI
That's right, even the Game of the Year resorted to generative artificial intelligence
Let's return to a thorny issue for developers: generative artificial intelligence. Recently, we've seen Larian Studios face criticism for showing openness on the topic. Going back a few months, we find a game, The Alters, which suffered serious reputational damage for forgetting some AI-generated placeholders among its assets. But what if we told you that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 did the same?
Expedition 33's Awards Withdrawn
Among the various end-of-year ceremonies, the Indie Game Awards also took place, which, as the name suggests, honors the best independent productions. One could debate whether Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 fits the definition of an indie game or not, but the fact remains that it took home the awards for Game of the Year and Best Debut Title… Or rather, no: it won the awards, which were later withdrawn and assigned to other participants.
Generative AI in Expedition 33
As mentioned above, Expedition 33 committed the same sin as The Alters: among its assets, placeholders created with generative artificial intelligence were found, which were only replaced later. This has been known for months, but it did not receive the same blame that hit The Alters or other games. However, the organizers of the Indie Game Awards are categorical about the use of AI and admitted Expedition 33 on the basis that AI had not been used.
This is because a spokesperson for Sandfall Interactive had confirmed to them that the studio had not used AI, a statement that turned out to be false. For this reason, it was decided to disqualify Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. You can find the official explanation in the IGA FAQ (Game Eligibility section). The Game of the Year award therefore went to Blue Prince, while the Best Debut Title was awarded to Sorry We’re Closed.
The IGAs Nomination Committee is officially retracting Debut Game and Game of the Year, awarding both categories to new recipients. Additionally, we are retracting one of the Indie Vanguard recipients. Full details can be found in our FAQ under Game Eligibility: www.indiegameawards.gg/faq
— The Indie Game Awards (@indiegameawards.gg) Dec 20, 2025 at 19:45
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