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The 2025 Indie Game Awards has withdrawn two major awards from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33<\/b> (read our review), after organisers confirmed the game made use of generative AI during development \u2013 a direct breach of the event\u2019s eligibility rules.<\/p>\n
The RPG from Sandfall Interactive had previously walked away with Game of the Year and Best Debut at the ceremony, which is organised by Six One Indie. However, those honours have now been reassigned following what organisers describe as a discrepancy between the studio\u2019s original submission and later disclosures.<\/p>\n
In a statement shared on social media, Six One Indie creative director Mike Towndrow said Sandfall confirmed the use of generative AI on the day of the awards premiere. The Indie Game Awards\u2019 rules explicitly state that any game developed using generative AI is ineligible for nomination, and organisers noted that Sandfall had initially agreed no such tools were used.<\/p>\n
The issue resurfaced after an article by Spanish newspaper El Pa\u00eds quoted a Sandfall producer discussing limited AI use, alongside earlier player speculation around AI-generated placeholder textures that were patched out shortly after launch. Sandfall has since clarified that no generative AI assets remain in the final game, and that any AI-assisted textures were temporary placeholders removed within days of release.<\/p>\n
Despite acknowledging the game\u2019s quality, Six One Indie said the rules left little room for interpretation. As a result, Game of the Year has now gone to Blue Prince<\/b>, while Best Debut was awarded to Sorry We\u2019re Closed<\/b>.<\/p>\nRead more:<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n