Behind the Creation of the Game of the Year

Sure! Here’s a paraphrased version of the article:

<div>
  <div>
    <div>
      <div>
        <span>Mel Ramsay &amp; Tom Richardson</span>
        <p><span>BBC Newsbeat</span></p>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>

  <figure>
    <div>
      <div>
        <img src="https://static.files.bbci.co.uk/bbcdotcom/web/20250428-123652-7bc49a8f4-web-2.20.1-1/grey-placeholder.png" />
        <img srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/2f88/live/4660e450-2774-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp 240w,
                    https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/2f88/live/4660e450-2774-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp 320w,
                    https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/2f88/live/4660e450-2774-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp 480w"
             src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/2f88/live/4660e450-2774-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp" 
             alt="Sandfall Interactive Screenshot of characters in a cavern" />
        <span>Sandfall Interactive</span>
      </div>
    </div>
    <figcaption>Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has garnered outstanding reviews.</figcaption>
  </figure>

  <div>
    <p>In 2020, during the peak of the Covid pandemic, Guillaume Broche found himself in a similar situation to many people worldwide—</p>
    <p>“Dissatisfied with work and eager for something new.”</p>
    <p>While employed at Ubisoft, he conceived an idea for a role-playing game inspired by his childhood favorite, the iconic Japanese series Final Fantasy.</p>
    <p>This idea evolved into Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which has since become a significant hit.</p>
    <p>Upon its release, it sold a million copies within just three days, dominated Spotify's viral charts with its music, and even received recognition from French President Emmanuel Macron.</p>
  </div>

  <div>
    <p>The game's development story is particularly fascinating, characterized by happenstance Reddit messages, “considerable luck,” and a non-traditional approach to game creation.</p>
    <p>Set in Lumiere, a fictional realm dominated by a towering monolith marked with a glowing number, the narrative unfolds as an entity known as The Paintress annually decreases the numeral, causing those of that age to disappear. As the excitement builds, players embark on a mission to eliminate this mysterious being.</p>
  </div>

  <div>
    <p>Guillaume began recruiting talent five years ago through Reddit and online communities, initially believing that players wouldn’t favor such a style.</p>
    <p>Among those who responded was Jennifer Svedberg-Yen, who was locked down in Australia.</p>
    <p>Upon seeing Guillaume's call for volunteer voice actors, she auditioned and eventually transitioned from playing a character to becoming the lead writer for the game.</p>
    <p>Guillaume left Ubisoft and founded Sandfall Interactive in Montpellier, France, to focus on Clair Obscur full-time, eventually expanding the core team to roughly 30 members after securing funding from publisher Kepler Interactive.</p>
  </div>

  <div>
    <p>Many of the team came on board similarly to Jennifer. Composer Lorien Testard, a newbie to the video game scene, was found through Soundcloud.</p>
    <p>Jennifer refers to this as the “Guillaume effect,” highlighting his talent for discovering extraordinary individuals, though Guillaume humbly attributes the success to the pandemic inspiring creativity and a good dose of luck.</p>
  </div>

  <div>
    <p>Expedition 33 has been noted for its high production values, rivaling those of games developed by larger teams.</p>
    <p>Recent advancements in game development tools helped the small team operate efficiently. With Kepler’s backing, they attracted renowned voice actors like Charlie Cox and Andy Serkis.</p>
    <p>Despite involving external studios and musicians, Jennifer and Guillaume note that their core team wore multiple hats throughout production.</p>
    <p>“Everyone contributed, often tackling roles outside their expertise," Jennifer adds, reflecting on the team’s commitment and talent, which impressed Guillaume considerably.</p>
  </div>

  <figure>
    <div>
      <img src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/8366/live/74a706f0-15d7-11ef-9b12-1ba8f95c4917.jpg.webp" 
           alt="A smiling woman in a garden and a smiling man outdoors." />
    </div>
  </figure>

  <div>
    <p>Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 on weekdays, or catch up here.</p>
  </div>
</div>