Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 achieved something amazing in Game Pass. RPG's director says that without Microsoft, the game wouldn't have been so successful
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from Sandfall Interactive has won the hearts of players, becoming this year's biggest third-party launch on Xbox Game Pass.
The first project from Sandfall Interactive studio turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of the year. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, having recently triumphed at the Golden Joystick Awards and being one of the favorites in the race for top honors at The Game Awards, set a new record as the most-played third-party launch on Xbox Game Pass in 2025. Turns out, in the first 30 days after its release, the game pulled in more users than any other new title from third-party studios added to the offer this year.
In an interview with Xbox Wire, Guillaume Broche, the creative director of Sandfall Interactive, admitted that the scale of success exceeded the team's wildest imaginations:
This year has been so far beyond what any of us could have imagined, and it’s down to how passionate and supportive our fans have been to make that a reality It’s really nerve-wracking to be a new studio releasing our first game, but the support of everyone has really made everything feel like a dream.
Even though Sandfall Interactive is a new studio with a mix of seasoned pros and a bunch of newcomers, Microsoft quickly spotted that Expedition 33 has the potential to stand out from the competition. Present at the same interview, Guy Richards from ID@Xbox emphasized that even in the early test versions, the game impressed with its scope and artistic style. People saw it as a project that could bring something unique to the table – blending French cultural influences with a fresh take on classic jRPG mechanics.
Game Pass opened doors for new players
Broche mentioned that without Game Pass, the launch of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 might not have gotten as much attention. The service helped reach players who usually wouldn't go for turn-based RPGs, since those games are often skipped by fans of more action-packed titles.
The turn-based RPG genre has a lot of fans but sometimes it might put people who prefer more real-time action games off, but Game Pass lowered that barrier of entry. They could just try it and see how it feels. So a lot of curious players could start the game, explore Lumiere and the early game, and realize there’s a lot to enjoy here, even if they weren’t expecting it at first.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is also doing well outside of the subscription. In just three days after its release, it sold a million copies, reached 3.3 million copies sold after 33 days, and, according to a recent report, the count has exceeded 5 million units.
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Author: Kamil Kleszyk
At Gamepressure.com deals with various jobs. So you can expect from him both news about the farming simulator and a text about the impact of Johnny Depp's trial on the future of Pirates of the Caribbean. Introvert by vocation. Since childhood, he felt a closer connection to humanities than to exact sciences. When after years of learning came a time of stagnation, he preferred to call it his "search for a life purpose." In the end, he decided to fight for a better future, which led him to the place where he is today.
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