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The game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 isn't just an impressive GOTY candidate, it’s also a huge financial hit. Studio Sandfall Interactive along with publisher Kepler Interactive disclosed that the game surpassed five million copies in sales, this is even with its status as a day-one release through the Game Pass service.

The game's performance was an unexpected turn to Sandfall. I firmly believed that we'd create an enjoyable experience that would meet reasonable sales results,” a senior team member explained.

Another leading developer pointed out this title's review aggregate, which currently sits at 93, was the most surprising moment to the studio relative to what we anticipated and the final result proved to be. Once it was published the entire team was screaming and jumping. It felt absolutely wild.”

This triumph prompted the studio creating a complimentary expansion for the title featuring fresh areas, enemies, and boss fights, reportedly would be out within the “upcoming month[s]”.

That said, despite the game's evolution, it's unlikely they'll hire extensively. Our team includes a talented crew guided by a visionary director with a clear direction for the project and future concepts. Our goal is to maintain the small-team dynamic that worked for this game then develop one big game after another,” the executive noted.

The size of Sandfall generated significant conversation upon the title's release. A few well-known creators, including renowned designers, considered Sandfall’s team as a perfect example for game development. While Sandfall was and is truly compact versus large developers, one glance at the title's staff list shows that numerous contributors worked on it; Sandfall partnered with overseas animators to work on gameplay animations, as an instance.

“We will hire slightly more for sure when facing a future production surge in the coming years,” the producer said. “However, I envision rather a creative atelier with a small number of exceptionally gifted creators capable of producing collective masterpieces.” They emphasized that their core belief as developers “aims to keep the successful elements that enabled this success from the start.”

Despite being not the right time to disclose concrete plans what’s next — believe me, I tried to get them to — they are certain their fundamental principles. “Strategic combat, I think it's in the DNA of our creations,” the lead programmer remarked. “It's still premature to specify what will interest us, yet we must to remain faithful to the DNA of studio through compelling worlds and engaging mechanics that inspires the team.”

They mentioned that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 started with their director pursuing his ideal project. It is hoped that's something we will be able to do as well for future productions.”