Sandfall Director Unfazed by Pressure for Next Game

Guillaume Broche, director of developer Sandfall Interactive, says the studio's next game might not be as popular as their 2025 smash hit, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. In a July interview on the Konbini YouTube channel's Video Game Club, Broche adopted a surprisingly laid-back attitude toward following up one of the most beloved games in recent memory.

Broche stated, "Maybe people won't like it. That's life." He explained that this philosophy mirrors the approach taken during the development of Clair Obscur. The team did not create their first game to please an audience but to satisfy themselves, a process Broche believes is key to its success.

Development Philosophy Remains Unchanged

Despite the pressure and expectations generated by their debut title's success, Broche sees no reason to change the studio's core ethos. He admitted there is definite pressure to scale up or make things bigger due to the attention Sandfall now receives. However, Broche argued that succumbing to that pressure would only result in the studio making games he does not personally want to play.

"We didn't make the first game to please anyone," Broche confessed in the interview, "and I think that's why it worked." The focus was on creating a game that excited the developers, with player enjoyment being an added bonus. This internal-driven process is what Broche intends to protect for the studio's future projects.

The Question of a Sequel

Broche declined to share specific details about Sandfall's next project but confirmed the team will make some drastic decisions. A major question is whether the next game will be a direct sequel to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

In the interview, Broche reiterated a previous point that "Clair Obscur" is the name of the franchise, while Expedition 33 represents just one story the team wanted to tell. This opens the possibility of an anthology approach, similar to the Final Fantasy series, where each entry features a new world and cast of characters. Creating a true sequel set in Expedition 33 would require Sandfall to choose a canon ending for the game, something the studio has deliberately avoided so far.

Focusing on Creative Satisfaction

The director's comments show a commitment to creative integrity over commercial certainty. While Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 earned numerous game of the year awards, Broche is prepared for a different reception for whatever comes next. The team's priority remains making a game that they themselves find exciting, trusting that this method will once again yield compelling results. Whatever follows Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will be worth watching, according to the source.