In an industry where success often leads to safer sequels and familiar formulas, Sandfall Interactive seems ready to take a different path.
After Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 became one of 2025’s biggest games, the studio says its next project will not be built around fan expectations, but around what the team really finds exciting to make.
Success Comes With Pressure, but It Is Not Driving the Next Game
The unexpected success of Expedition 33 naturally raised expectations for Sandfall Interactive’s next move. According to COO and Production Director François Meurisse, the team is aware of that pressure, but is not letting it take control.
“I feel there is a bit of pressure,” Meurisse told Edge magazine (Issue 419), “but it’s not so important to us.”
Rather than rushing into the next project, Sandfall wants to slow things down and build on what it has learned. With five more years of experience behind them, the team believes it is now in a better position to explore bigger and better ideas.
“What We Think Is Cool” Still Comes First
Rather than trying to meet fan expectations or recreate the same thing just because it worked well, Sandfall plans to stick to a simpler rule: make what they personally think is cool.
That mindset is shared by lead writer Jennifer Svedberg-Yen, who said that having a larger fanbase does naturally bring expectations with it. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about that at all,” she said.
Still, she believes chasing approval can slowly drain a project of its identity. Too many TV shows, games, and even books are trying to please a lot of people, and in the process, end up losing the heart of what was there at first. For Sandfall, trusting their own taste and instincts remains the studio’s creative “North Star.”
The Best Approach for Expedition 33
It is an approach that can clearly pay off for Clair Obscur. Creative director Guillaume Broche already revealed that the team never expected it to become such a huge success. He described the strange but rewarding feeling of seeing something deeply personal resonate with such a wide audience.
With that mindset, Sandfall continuing down the same road and focusing on original projects built around what the team genuinely finds cool feels like the right move. At a time when many studios are busy chasing trends or repeating what already worked, it is refreshing to see smaller teams stick to what they love and trust that it will resonate naturally with players.
With more attention now on Sandfall Interactive than ever before, the studio’s next project will naturally come with bigger expectations. Still, the team seems determined to protect the creative originality that made Expedition 33 stand out in the first place.
Even if that means not making the game everyone expects.
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