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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11The Indie Game Awards (IGA) withdrew Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s 2025 Game of the Year and Best Debut Game awards after its committee said Sandfall Interactive had confirmed generative-AI use during development, despite an earlier submission representation that none had been used. The decision applies to the IGA, not to every Game of the Year award the RPG received. Larian Studios’ later acknowledgment of AI use during production of Divinity has revived the discussion, but the two cases are not established as equivalent: reporting on Expedition 33 also says an apparent placeholder texture was removed, while Larian says AI-made content will not appear in the final game.
What happened to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s IGA awards?
The Indie Game Awards initially named Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 its 2025 Game of the Year and Best Debut Game on December 18. On December 21, the organization announced that it was retroactively disqualifying the game under its rules against generative-AI use. Blue Prince became Game of the Year, and Sorry We’re Closed became Best Debut Game, according to PC Gamer’s report.
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This was an eligibility ruling by one awards organization. It was not a withdrawal of the game’s awards from The Game Awards or from every other ceremony.
Why did the committee disqualify the game?
The committee said Sandfall representatives had agreed at submission that no generative AI had been used in development, then confirmed AI use on the day of the awards premiere. PC Gamer quoted nomination committee member Mike Towndrow: “We have a hard stance against gen AI in videogames, it’s something we talk about throughout the year when discussing any potential nominees.”
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- Reactive Turn-based Combat: Craft unique builds for your Expeditioners that fit your playstyle via gear, stats, skills, and &character synergies
- Dodge, parry, and counter in real time, chain combos by mastering attack rhythms, and target enemy weak points using a free aim system
- With only one year left to live, join Gustave, Maelle, & fellow Expeditioners as they embark on a desperate quest to break Paintress’ cycle of death
- Explore an enchanting realm populated by adversaries; Wander through breathtaking landscapes, from Island of Visages to the Forgotten Battlefield
- Experience the debut game from Sandfall Interactive, fully realized in Unreal Engine 5 with stunning graphics and a heartbreaking soundtrack
The committee’s account of the later disclosure was: “On the day of the premiere, Sandfall Interactive did, in fact, confirm that gen AI was used in the making of Expedition 33.” Those statements explain the IGA’s stated basis: a conflict between the submission representation and the later confirmation, considered under the organization’s eligibility rule. They do not establish that every award body uses the same rule.
What was reported about AI use in Expedition 33?
Two details need to be kept distinct: reported use during development and what was present in the released game. PC Gamer reported that a June interview with Sandfall cofounder François Meurisse in El País described the studio as using “some AI, but not much.” PC Gamer also reported that El País later updated its article to say that no element made with generative AI was in the game. These are separately attributed statements, not evidence that the current release contains generated content. See PC Gamer’s account of the interview and update.
Rank #2
- Reactive Turn-based Combat - In this evolution of JRPGs, real-time actions enhance the heart of turn-based combat. Build your party and level up six characters. Craft unique builds for your expeditioners that fit your playstyle via gear, stats, skills, and character synergies. Open an active dimension in combat - dodge, parry, and counter in real time, chain combos by mastering attack rhythms, and target enemy weak points using a free-aim system.
- “Tomorrow Comes” - With only one year left to live, join Gustave, Maelle, and their fellow Expeditioners as they embark upon a desperate quest to break the Paintress’ cycle of death. Follow the trail of previous expeditions and discover their fate. Get to know the members of Expedition 33 as they learn to work together against impossible odds.
- A Hauntingly Beautiful World - Explore an enchanting realm populated by surreal adversaries. Wander through breathtaking landscapes, from the Island of Visages to the Forgotten Battlefield, discovering secrets and hidden quests along the way. Find allies of fortune in creatures of legend and recruit a special companion who can access new travel methods and secret areas in the World Map.
- Experience the debut game from Sandfall Interactive, fully realized in Unreal Engine 5 with stunning graphics and a heartbreaking soundtrack.
- European/ UK version
After the game’s April 2025 release, players pointed to textures they thought looked AI-generated. PC Gamer reported that the textures were removed in a patch and that a patch note described one as a “placeholder texture.” That account records player observations and the reported patch note; it is not an independent forensic finding about how the texture was made. Details are in PC Gamer’s report on the texture patch.
Why has Larian’s Divinity brought the issue back?
GamesRadar reported that Larian CEO Swen Vincke acknowledged the studio had begun using AI in production on Divinity, while saying AI-made content would not appear in the final game. When fans asked how Larian would prevent AI assets from accidentally shipping, publishing director Michael Douse compared the risk to errors in photo-bashing and replied: “We have good QA and leads.” The comments are reported in GamesRadar’s coverage.
Rank #3
That assurance addresses a production-control question, but it does not establish that Divinity has shipped AI-made assets. Nor does the reporting establish that Larian’s use is the same as Sandfall’s reported use. The comparison is useful precisely because the relevant questions differ: what work AI was used for, whether generated material reached a release, what was disclosed to an awards body, and what safeguards a studio says it uses.
How the two cases differ
| Question | Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | Divinity |
|---|---|---|
| What was reported? | Sandfall cofounder François Meurisse was quoted describing “some AI, but not much” during development. PC Gamer reported that the El País article was later updated to say no generative-AI element was in the game. PC Gamer | Larian CEO Swen Vincke acknowledged AI use in production and said AI-made content would not appear in the final game. GamesRadar |
| What is reported about material reaching release? | Players flagged textures they believed looked AI-generated; PC Gamer reported that they were removed in a patch and that a note called one a “placeholder texture.” The reported update to El País said no generative-AI element was in the game. PC Gamer PC Gamer | The cited coverage reports an assurance about the final game, not that AI-made assets have shipped. GamesRadar |
| What prompted awards consequences? | The IGA said the submission’s no-AI representation conflicted with a confirmation of AI use on the awards-premiere day; it then disqualified the game under its rule. PC Gamer | No awards disqualification is reported in the cited coverage. |
| What safeguard was stated? | No specific QA safeguard is stated in the cited reporting. | Douse pointed to “good QA and leads.” GamesRadar |
What the controversy does—and does not—show
The IGA outcome shows that disclosure and eligibility can matter independently of whether generated content remains in a shipped build: the committee said the disqualification followed a mismatch between the submission representation and the later confirmation. The reported texture episode adds a separate release-quality question, but the available account does not verify the textures’ origin beyond player identification and the patch note’s “placeholder” description.
Rank #4
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a ground-breaking turn-based RPG with unique real-time mechanics, making battles more immersive and addictive than ever.
- Explore a fantasy world inspired by Belle Époque France in which you battle devastating enemies.
Larian’s comments raise a practical question for any production pipeline that uses AI tools: how will teams identify and exclude material they do not intend to ship? Douse cited QA and leads, but the cited coverage does not specify a concrete review process. The reports therefore support a comparison of stated policies and disclosed uses—not a conclusion that the studios used AI in the same way or that either final game contains undisclosed generated assets.
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