Sandfall’s Next Clair Obscur Project: “Go a Bit Crazy”

After the breakout success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Sandfall Interactive is now looking beyond its first major hit—yet the studio isn’t ready to show what’s coming next. In a new interview, the team hinted that its next game will lean hard into creativity again, promising it will “go a bit crazy.”

A secretive studio finally offers a creative direction

Sandfall Interactive has kept tight-lipped about its follow-up to last year’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, but a fresh interview with Automaton gave fans a clearer sense of the studio’s mindset. While the conversation did not include plot, gameplay, or any concrete details about the next project, Sandfall’s CEO and the game’s Creative Director, Guillaume Broche, emphasized one thing above all: the team wants to rekindle the passion that fueled Expedition 33.

Broche described how developing Expedition 33 took a long time for nearly everyone involved—six years for him, five and a half for Tom, and roughly four to five years for most other team members. That extended development cycle, he suggested, is exactly why the studio is aiming to “dream again” and return to a more imaginative, risk-tolerant approach. In his words, the team intends to “go a bit crazy” with its next game.

For players who connected with what Expedition 33 did with world design and the role of its cast, the message reads as a promise that Sandfall plans to pursue a similarly layered creative ambition—though what form that takes remains unknown.

Why the pressure of success may not change the vision

The studio’s confidence isn’t coming out of nowhere. Earlier this year, Sandfall’s COO and co-founder François Meurisse and lead writer Jennifer Svedberg-Yen spoke about how the success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 could create expectations for what comes next. In an interview with Edge, Meurisse acknowledged that the reception has added pressure, but he framed it as not the defining factor.

Svedberg-Yen reinforced that idea by stressing that the team should be guided by its own personal taste. She also argued that Sandfall needs to trust its instincts and continue following the studio’s established vision—suggesting the “go a bit crazy” tease is less about chasing trends and more about leaning into the creative identity that already worked.

What Expedition 33’s momentum sets up for the next chapter

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 arrived as a major surprise, developed by a relatively small French team whose members previously worked at Ubisoft. Released in April 2025, the turn-based RPG quickly became an overnight sensation, earning very positive early reviews and a Top Critic Average score of 92 on OpenCritic. Sales followed, reaching 8 million copies by its one-year anniversary.

On top of commercial performance, the game also collected major recognition, including The Game Awards 2025 Game of the Year, multiple Best Performance awards, and a broad set of narrative-related honors.

Against that backdrop, Sandfall’s current messaging matters. Even without new details on mechanics or story, the studio is signaling that its next project will prioritize creativity at the core—potentially escalating the complexity that fans associate with Expedition 33’s narrative and world-building. For the community, the immediate takeaway is simple: Sandfall is not treating its next game as a safe sequel to a winning formula; it’s framing it as a new chance to push imagination further.

Key points

• Sandfall is still not sharing plot or gameplay details for its next project.
• CEO/Creative Director Guillaume Broche says the team wants to regain the creative passion behind Expedition 33.
• Broche frames the approach as going “a bit crazy,” with creativity taking priority again.
• Other leadership previously stressed that studio decisions should follow personal taste and instincts, despite success-related pressure.

Confirmed milestones from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Expert View

This kind of “creative escalation” messaging after a breakout hit is a strong signal for the market: Sandfall appears determined to protect its artistic identity rather than over-correct toward expectations. For the competitive RPG space, that matters because it suggests the studio’s next release could focus on ambitious world and narrative construction—the same pillars that helped Expedition 33 stand out—potentially raising the bar for what players will demand from story-driven turn-based experiences.