Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 might be one of the most surprising hits of 2025, but the story behind how it came to life is better. Imagine the prophetic speech that Swen Vincke dropped at The Game Awards coming to life!

Game director Guillaume Broche shared that he left Ubisoft simply because he was “bored”. That boredom sparked a journey that would lead to over a seven-figure number of copies sold.

Broche didn’t start with a studio or budget. Instead, he pitched the idea online, putting out Reddit posts and chatting on forums to find people to help him make the game. He even found the game’s composer, Lorien Testard, through SoundCloud comments.

The lead writer, Jennifer Svedberg-Yen, hadn’t worked in games before. She only auditioned because it “sounded kinda cool.” That random submission led her to become the main storyteller behind a narrative that’s been praised across the industry. Most of the team were mostly juniors, learning as they went. But their creativity and passion made the impossible happen. Broche himself says the fact it worked out still “makes no sense.”

Five years ago, all he had was a dream. Now, Expedition 33 is a series contender for the GOTY.

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