Clair Obscur, game of the year! Cock-a-doodle-doo, or what?

No established license and a debut title for a young studio (Sandfall Interactive) – a recipe for obscurity in the video game jungle. Yet, Clair Obscur Expedition 33 managed to win over players and carve out a place for itself in this year's particularly competitive market. A place significant enough that this French-made game received nominations in several categories at the Game Awards, the "Oscars of video games," which took place on December 11th. And what was bound to happen, happened: Clair Obscur won the title of "GOTY" ("Game of the Year"), or Game of the Year 2025. A shower of awards for Clair Obscur Expedition! In addition to this ultimate prize, the game scooped eight other titles—Best Art Direction, Best Direction, Best Narrative, Best Performance, Best Music, Best Indie Game, Best RPG, and Best Debut Game—beating the record held by The Last of Us Part 2. Clair Obscur deserves its laurels, because, as mentioned earlier, the competition was fierce. Making a name for itself among heavyweights like Donkey Kong Bonanza, Hollow Knight 2, Hades 2, Ghost of Yotei, and Death Stranding 2 was no easy feat. So, congratulations to Sandfall Interactive, and long live France, right?