The recent success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 at major gaming awards has been overshadowed by a significant controversy. Following its win at The Game Awards 2025, scrutiny over the development studio's use of generative AI tools has led to a major decision from another awards body. This incident has reignited a critical industry-wide debate on the ethical and practical boundaries of AI in game development, challenging the definitions of artistic integrity and eligibility in competitive spaces.
The Indie Game Awards' Decision to Retract Awards
The Indie Game Awards (IGA) has officially stripped Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 of its two top prizes: Game of the Year and Debut Game. This decisive action was taken after Sandfall Interactive, the game's developer, confirmed on the day of the IGA 2025 premiere that generative AI art had been used during the game's production. This confirmation directly contradicted a prior agreement made during the awards submission process, where a studio representative had stated that no generative AI was used. The IGA maintains a strict policy that "games developed using generative AI are strictly ineligible for nomination," making the studio's disclosure grounds for immediate disqualification.
Key IGA Rule Violation: The Indie Game Awards' eligibility rules state that "games developed using generative AI are strictly ineligible for nomination." Sandfall Interactive's confirmation of AI use during production, despite prior assurances to the contrary, triggered this rule.
The Nature of the AI Use and Industry Reaction
Sandfall Interactive clarified that the AI-generated assets were used only as temporary placeholders during development and were later replaced with human-created art before the game's official launch. Despite this remediation, the mere fact of their use during the production phase was enough to violate the IGA's rules. The controversy was further fueled by comments from other industry figures, such as Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke, regarding the use of generative AI in upcoming projects like Divinity. This confluence of events has placed the ethical use of AI at the forefront of gaming discourse, questioning where the line should be drawn between a tool for efficiency and a compromise of creative authenticity.
Award Reassignments:
- Game of the Year 2025: Award reassigned from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to Blue Prince.
- Debut Game 2025: Award reassigned from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to Sorry We're Closed.
Reassignment of Awards and Lasting Implications
Following the retraction, the IGA promptly reassigned the awards to other deserving titles. The prestigious Game of the Year award for 2025 now belongs to Blue Prince, while the Debut Game award has been given to Sorry We're Closed. Mike Towndrow of Six One Indie, which runs the IGAs, stated that the new winners have been invited to record acceptance speeches, which will be released after the holidays. This resolution ensures the awards' legitimacy but leaves a lasting mark on the conversation. The incident underscores a growing tension within the indie game community and beyond, setting a precedent for how awards bodies may handle AI disclosure and forcing developers to be meticulously transparent about their tools and processes.