Clair Obscur Dominates The Game Awards with Historic Nine Wins

Sat Dec 13 2025 21:09:20 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The French RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has made history at The Game Awards, clinching nine out of ten nominations including Game of the Year.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a French-developed RPG, has won nine awards at The Game Awards, including the prestigious Game of the Year title. The game, which tells a story steeped in emotion and unique gameplay, beat out several strong competitors. Director Guillaume Broche accepted the award, highlighting the contributions of his team and the gaming community.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been named game of the year in a record-breaking haul at this year's Game Awards.

The French-developed role-playing game (RPG) cleaned up in nine of the ten categories it was nominated for, with further wins in best narrative, best music, and best performance.

It fended off competition from titles like Death Stranding 2, Donkey Kong Bananza, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hades 2, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 to claim the top prize.

During the ceremony in Los Angeles, attendees also got their first glimpses of two new Tomb Raider games, a sequel to Control, and a new Star Wars RPG.

Clair Obscur is set in a world where a supernatural being known as The Paintress prevents the population from growing past a certain age. The game, celebrated for its compelling narrative and old-school turn-based battles, follows a group of adventurers on a quest to defeat The Paintress.

Director Guillaume Broche, who accepted the game of the year award wearing a red beret and striped t-shirt to reflect the game's French identity, praised his team and acknowledged the 'unsung heroes' of the industry: tutorial creators on YouTube.

With a total of 12 nominations, Clair Obscur was favored to win, and its composer, Lorien Testard, won the award for best score and music, a notable achievement for a first-time composer.

The game also triumphed in categories for best RPG, best independent game, and best debut indie game. Jennifer English won best performance for her role as Maelle, dedicating her award to neurodivergent individuals.

Despite missing out on the best audio design and the Player's Voice award, Clair Obscur's performance solidified its status as a pioneering title. The awards ceremony also featured notable appearances from celebrities like David Harbour and Lenny Kravitz, and announced high-profile games like a new Total War: Warhammer 40K and the forthcoming Resident Evil 9. As the Game Awards continues to grow, the balance between honoring creativity and addressing industry concerns remains a hot topic.