In the move which reignited fierce debate across the gaming industry, prestigious Indie Game Awards rescinded 2 major awards from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, an acclaimed RPG. As per reports from the Awards committee, the developers confirmed generative AI use, despite it being just a part of the placeholder assets. This forced the awards body to enforce a strict “no-AI” rule. While some fans are applauding this decision, calling it a principled stand for human creativity, others are supporting it, arguing for more AI within development, if the same yields such quality results.
How is the community reacting to Clair Obscur Expedition 33’s disqualification
The decision to disqualify Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has sparked intense reaction from the observers and players online. It reflects upon the broad industry divide over the role of AI in creative work.
There are many who have defended the game and criticized the disqualification. A commentator called this move “the dumbest bs I’ve ever heard,” ensuring to dismiss the entire backlash, coming from people whose jobs aren’t actually threatened. Another commentator argued that this decision was arbitrary, stating that, “Gen AI is only a tool and in the years ahead there won’t be a single game being developed without generative AI”.
A prominent streamer, Tectone, too entered the debate on X, giving a clear stance. The streamer posted, “If AI helps makes games as good as Clair Obscur I want more AI in games.” The sentiment even got echoed by many others on social media who felt that the decision was not right. A fan lamented saying, “Disgusting. Ai is everywhere… That doesn’t change the content and design and effort of the people that made it”.
On the other hand of this entire scenario, there are many who praised the decision of the body for taking this stand. As per them, the decision to stand up and speak out for the ethical games industry was needed. Also, as per the users, it means that the award show actually cares about the authenticity of the games it showcases.
Some even went ahead to give their pragmatic view, saying that considering a single placeholder asset made it to the final version was a mistake. As per them, rules cannot be avoided, and AI is not just about the output quality but also about exploiting human creative output, used for training these models.
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 disqualified by the awards body after AI use came to light
The entire controversy reached its peak on December 18, the day when Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was announced as the winner for Debut Game and Game of the Year at the Indie Game Awards. Six One Indie, the organizers stated that Sandfall Interactive, the developer’s representative, previously agreed that no generative AI was used in the development of the game when it was submitted for award consideration.
However, on premier day, Sandfall Interactive confirmed just the opposite—Generative AI was used within production. At the Indie Game Awards, via a formal statement, the committee explained its hard stance against tech and disqualified the gaming title, noting that this decision was made “in light of Sandfall Interactive confirming the use of gen AI art in production on the day of the Indie Game Awards 2025 premiere”.
It resulted in the Game of the Year award getting reassigned to Blue Prince and the Debut Game award to Sorry We’re Closed. It was acknowledged by the committee that the quality of the game was good, but as per them, using AI went against their clear regulations.
Sandfall Interactive has now clarified that AI was used in 2022, briefly for the generation of temporary placeholder textures. All these assets were meant to get replaced and, as per the studio, got patched out of the game, in just 5 days of the game’s launch, after it missed the quality assurance process. It’s also been stated by the developer that no AI-generated assets were part of the final game.
The gaming industry is struggling with growing AI concerns
This incident is not some isolated event. It is a part of increased AI-related controversies within gaming. Some studios like 11 Bit Studios and Frontier Developments have already faced backlash for The Alters and Jurassic World Evolution 3, respectively. As per reports, they made undisclosed AI-generated images use. Even some industry giants like Activision and Ubisoft got called out for the AI elements that were found within Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and more.
The entire debate centers on a tension. Proponents view AI as an efficiency tool that can help developers, specifically small teams, handle mundane tasks. However, critics see it as a threat to creative jobs and a means for companies to cut costs at the expense of employment and artistic integrity. As noted within industry commentary, AI’s use is quite often seen by the workers as a tool for “managers to extract more productivity and justify layoffs.”
For a game like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, losing Indie Awards is a setback, not a defeat. The game is commercial and a critical powerhouse, having swept the awards, winning 2 prizes, along with 8 other trophies. Success of it, amidst this entire controversy, ensures that the conversation about where to draw the line with AI within game development is far from over.
