BBC Newsbeat
Sandfall Interactive
In 2020, during the peak of the Covid pandemic, Guillaume Broche found himself in a similar situation to many people worldwide—
“Dissatisfied with work and eager for something new.”
While employed at Ubisoft, he conceived an idea for a role-playing game inspired by his childhood favorite, the iconic Japanese series Final Fantasy.
This idea evolved into Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which has since become a significant hit.
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.
The game’s development story is particularly fascinating, characterized by happenstance Reddit messages, “considerable luck,” and a non-traditional approach to game creation.
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.
Guillaume began recruiting talent five years ago through Reddit and online communities, initially believing that players wouldn’t favor such a style.
Among those who responded was Jennifer Svedberg-Yen, who was locked down in Australia.
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.
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.
Many of the team came on board similarly to Jennifer. Composer Lorien Testard, a newbie to the video game scene, was found through Soundcloud.
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.
Expedition 33 has been noted for its high production values, rivaling those of games developed by larger teams.
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.
Despite involving external studios and musicians, Jennifer and Guillaume note that their core team wore multiple hats throughout production.
“Everyone contributed, often tackling roles outside their expertise,” Jennifer adds, reflecting on the team’s commitment and talent, which impressed Guillaume considerably.
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