The Indie Game Awards have withdrawn the Game of the Year and Debut Game awards given to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The decision came just two days after the awards were announced, following confirmation that the game used generative AI assets at launch.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, developed by Sandfall Interactive and published by Kepler Interactive, initially won big at the Indie Game Awards 2025. However, on Saturday, the organizers confirmed that the awards were being rescinded due to the game’s use of AI-generated art, even though those assets were later removed through a patch.
According to the Indie Game Awards FAQ page, representatives from Sandfall Interactive had earlier agreed that no generative AI was used during development when the game was submitted for consideration. But during the Indie Game Awards 2025 premiere, Sandfall confirmed that generative AI art had been used in production. This directly violated the awards’ rules and led to the game’s disqualification.
The organizers stated that even though the AI assets were patched out shortly after launch, their presence at release was enough to break eligibility rules. As a result, both awards won by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 were officially retracted.
This issue also brought back earlier comments from Sandfall Interactive’s François Meurisse. In an interview published by Spanish outlet El País around the game’s launch, Meurisse admitted that the studio had used a small amount of generative AI during development. He said the team used AI carefully and with clear limits, while still focusing most efforts on handcrafted content.
Following the disqualification, the Indie Game Awards confirmed that the awards would go to the next highest ranked games in each category. The Debut Game award has now been given to Sorry We’re Closed. The Game of the Year award will go to Blue Prince.
Acceptance speeches from the developers of both games are expected to be shared in early 2026
