The Clair Obscur study: Expedition 33 review reveals it only expected an 80 Metacritic score

The success of the JRPG far exceeded Sandfall Interactive's internal expectations.

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Since its release, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has established itself as one of the biggest phenomena of 2025, to the point of becoming a Game of the Year for a large part of the community and critics. However, within the studio itself, no one expected such a resounding result.

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Far from anticipating outstanding reviews, the development team worked with much more conservative forecasts. In fact, their initial goal was quite far from the over 90 points the game ultimately achieved on Metacritic, a figure that ended up surprising even its own leaders.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 exceeded all internal expectations

In statements collected by Edge magazine, François Meurisse, the game’s producer at Sandfall Interactive, explained that internal simulations conducted months before the release placed the game around 80 points on Metacritic. That was the realistic scenario the studio worked with for a large part of the development.

With the project already in its final stretch, the internal bar was slightly raised to a goal of 85 points, focusing the last few months on polishing aspects of quality and overall cohesion. However, breaking the 90-point barrier was completely unexpected, to the point of describing it as a moment when “everything got a bit crazy” within the team.

The art director, Nicholas Maxson-Francombe, acknowledged that most of the studio was satisfied with staying within that 80-point range, happy with the work done, even if sales had been more modest. Part of that caution, they explain, came from living with very early versions of the game for years, which were difficult to evaluate with perspective.

To this day, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 maintains a Metacritic average of 92, confirming that the title not only met but far exceeded the expectations of its creators. A success that reinforces the impact of the game and the name of Sandfall Interactive for the future.