At Summer Game Fest 2025, a major industry event, host Geoff Keighley lauded Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as a “monumental achievement,” highlighting that it came from a team of “under 30 developers.” This wasn’t the first time the size of Sandfall Interactive’s team sparked conversation following the game’s massive success and glowing reviews. Many wondered how such a small crew could deliver a title with ‘triple-A’ production values and ambition.
However, a closer look at Expedition 33’s credits reveals that while Sandfall’s core team was indeed around 30 people at launch, numerous outsourcing companies, including animators, QA testers, and localization specialists, also played crucial roles. This means that more than just 30 individuals contributed to the game’s success. While Keighley’s comments weren’t unique in celebrating the small team, they ignited an online debate among players, critics, and even other developers, as the “30-person” figure didn’t tell the complete story.
In a recent interview regarding Expedition 33’s new “thank you” update, Sandfall’s CEO and creative director, Guillaume Broche, stated that the studio intends to “remain very small and agile, with a strong creative vision.” This prompted questions about Keighley’s public statement and whether Broche and COO/producer Francois Meurisse felt the emphasis on their team size was ultimately beneficial or detrimental.
Broche believes the focus on their team size is not a disadvantage. “We recently visited several Chinese studios,” he explained, “and I believe we represent the vanguard of a new approach to game development.” He emphasized that modern technology makes it significantly easier to create games that appear grander than the size of the development team suggests. While acknowledging the immense effort involved, he noted, “It’s still a ton of work, don’t get me wrong, but it’s easier to make a game that looks bigger than the size of the team.” Broche highlighted observing many ambitious projects from small, young teams that already “look and play well,” predicting they will become “amazing games.” He sees this trend as “just the start of a new wave,” where risky, artistically unique, and visually impressive productions that “hit above their weight” will become increasingly common. “The current impression it makes is because we are probably among the first to do it, but I’m sure that we’re just at the beginning of this kind of development style,” he concluded.
Meurisse added that when Sandfall was founded, they drew inspiration from titles like Hellblade and A Plague Tale: Innocence. These games demonstrated that “with the right tools and teams, you can create some hits in realistic 3D with double-A teams.” Their success served as clear evidence that “it was possible to dream big with a team of less than 50 people.”
While Sandfall embraces the discussion surrounding its compact team, other independent studios, such as LocalThunk, the creator of Balatro (often mislabeled as a “solo dev”), strongly dislike the intense focus on team size.
For players revisiting Lumiere following Expedition 33’s latest update, remember to explore optimal character builds and powerful weapons to enhance your gameplay.
This raises compelling questions: Is the future of game development shifting towards smaller, highly efficient core teams? And does the constant emphasis on Sandfall’s team size inadvertently set unrealistic expectations for other developers?