{"id":23073,"date":"2025-12-26T06:00:34","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T22:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=23073"},"modified":"2025-12-26T06:00:34","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T22:00:34","slug":"expedition-33-developer-comments-on-genai-controversy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=23073","title":{"rendered":"Expedition 33 Developer Comments on GenAI Controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong><em>Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 <\/em><\/strong>developer Sandfall Interactive has promised that, in the future, everything from the studio will be made by humans and not AI. To say that the use of generative AI in video game development is currently a contentious topic would be an understatement. Since its advent into the mainstream a few years ago, game companies are regularly called out for suspected AI use, and often the accusations turn out to be true. So when they found out that <em>Clair Obscur <\/em>had been released with AI assets, some fans reacted negatively.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<p>Though the amount of AI present in the release build of the widely acclaimed RPG<em> <\/em>was apparently small, it still generated backlash among many gamers. The art was intended to be a placeholder only and was quickly patched out, but its very use resulted in <em>Clair Obscur <\/em>being disqualified from the Indie Game Awards and its Best Debut and Game of the Year wins being retracted. It seems, though, that the developer has heard the response loud and clear.<\/p>\n<div class=\"display-card  article article-card small  no-badge  active-content                      \" data-include-community-rating=\"false\" id=\"steam-most-wishlisted-game-subnautica-2-generative-ai\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steam-8.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=140&amp;h=98&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steam-8.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=140&amp;h=98&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"440\" height=\"364\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"steam-8\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steam-8.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=220&amp;h=182&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/steam-8.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=220&amp;h=182&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<p>                    <span data-field=\"label\" class=\"article-card-label\"><label>Related<\/label><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-content regular article-block\">\n<h5 class=\"display-card-title \">\n<p>\t\t\tMost Wishlisted Game on Steam Comes From &#8220;AI-First&#8221; Company, and It Should Raise More Eyebrows<\/p>\n<\/h5>\n<p class=\"display-card-excerpt\">Amid ongoing generative AI controversies, it seems the most wishlisted game on Steam has gone ignored while being published by an &#8220;AI-First&#8221; company.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"clair-obscur-developer-won-39-t-use-generative-ai-in-the-future\">\n                        Clair Obscur Developer Won&#8217;t Use Generative AI in the Future<br \/>\n               <\/h2>\n<div class=\"body-img landscape \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  image-expandable  img-article-item\" style=\"padding-bottom:56.25%\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/wm\/2025\/12\/expedition-33-verso-s-drafts-collectibles-126.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;&quot;\">\n                                                                                            <picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/wm\/2025\/12\/expedition-33-verso-s-drafts-collectibles-126.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/wm\/2025\/12\/expedition-33-verso-s-drafts-collectibles-126.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/wm\/2025\/12\/expedition-33-verso-s-drafts-collectibles-126.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/wm\/2025\/12\/expedition-33-verso-s-drafts-collectibles-126.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/wm\/2025\/12\/expedition-33-verso-s-drafts-collectibles-126.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/wm\/2025\/12\/expedition-33-verso-s-drafts-collectibles-126.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"1650\" height=\"928\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Expedition 33 Verso's Drafts Collectibles 126\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/wm\/2025\/12\/expedition-33-verso-s-drafts-collectibles-126.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/wm\/2025\/12\/expedition-33-verso-s-drafts-collectibles-126.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Recently, <em>Expedition 33 <\/em>director Guillaume Broche and art director Nicholas Maxson-Francombe sat down for a Q &amp; A session with YouTube channel Sushi. During the discussion, the topic of AI use was brought up. Broche promised that, though it\u2019s tough to foresee what the future may bring for the industry, in games by Sandfall at least, \u201ceverything will be made by humans from us.\u201d He went on to explain that, when AI was used in the development of <em>Expedition 33<\/em>, the tech was still very new and was seen as just a useful tool. \u201cWe tried it, and we didn\u2019t like it. It felt wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At least for now, whether it\u2019s liked or not, it seems AI is here to stay and will likely become even more ubiquitous with time. Recently, another beloved game company came under fire for AI use when Larian Studios, the developer behind multi-award-winning <em>Baldur\u2019s Gate 3<\/em>, admitted during a Bloomberg interview to using the tech to create \u201cPowerPoint presentations, develop concept art, and write placeholder text.\u201d Larian founder Swen Vincke clarified that no generative AI assets would make its way into <em>Divinity<\/em>, the studio\u2019s next project, but that has only slightly diminished the backlash.<\/p>\n<div class=\"body-img landscape \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  image-expandable  img-article-item\" style=\"padding-bottom:56.25%\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/clair-obscur-expedition-33-sandfall-interactive-next-game-in-development.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;&quot;\">\n                                                                                            <picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/clair-obscur-expedition-33-sandfall-interactive-next-game-in-development.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/clair-obscur-expedition-33-sandfall-interactive-next-game-in-development.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/clair-obscur-expedition-33-sandfall-interactive-next-game-in-development.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/clair-obscur-expedition-33-sandfall-interactive-next-game-in-development.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/clair-obscur-expedition-33-sandfall-interactive-next-game-in-development.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/clair-obscur-expedition-33-sandfall-interactive-next-game-in-development.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"1650\" height=\"928\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"clair-obscur-expedition-33-sandfall-interactive-next-game-in-development\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/clair-obscur-expedition-33-sandfall-interactive-next-game-in-development.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/clair-obscur-expedition-33-sandfall-interactive-next-game-in-development.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Vincke said in his interview with Bloomberg that, while AI hasn\u2019t significantly improved the team\u2019s efficiency, it could ultimately be detrimental not to use it if competitors adopt it widely. Renowned developer Hideo Kojima seems to be of the same mind. He\u2019s previously stated that, while he won\u2019t use AI to create art, he does see its potential in creating deep systems that could respond dynamically to player behaviors. In fact, Kojima has said that he would like to create a game to train AI because it currently \u201cdoesn\u2019t know much.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"body-img landscape \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  image-expandable  img-article-item\" style=\"padding-bottom:56.25%\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/official-screenshot-of-the-game-s-main-party-clair-obscur-expedition-33.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;&quot;\">\n                                                                                            <picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/official-screenshot-of-the-game-s-main-party-clair-obscur-expedition-33.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/official-screenshot-of-the-game-s-main-party-clair-obscur-expedition-33.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/official-screenshot-of-the-game-s-main-party-clair-obscur-expedition-33.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/official-screenshot-of-the-game-s-main-party-clair-obscur-expedition-33.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/official-screenshot-of-the-game-s-main-party-clair-obscur-expedition-33.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/official-screenshot-of-the-game-s-main-party-clair-obscur-expedition-33.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"1650\" height=\"928\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Official screenshot of the game's main party - Clair Obscur Expedition 33\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/official-screenshot-of-the-game-s-main-party-clair-obscur-expedition-33.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/official-screenshot-of-the-game-s-main-party-clair-obscur-expedition-33.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>While both Sandfall Interactive and Larian Studios are currently dealing with the aftermath of revealing that they used AI in some aspects of creating their games, it likely won\u2019t permanently impact their success. Excitement for the upcoming <em>Divinity <\/em>game by Larian is incredibly high, and <em>Clair Obscur <\/em>won a record number of categories at The Game Awards 2025, earning more wins than any other game in the event\u2019s history.<\/p>\n<div class=\"display-card type-video-game large\" data-show-streamrentbuy-links=\"true\" data-include-community-rating=\"true\" id=\"c578-4552-9f951e55bb98\">\n<div class=\"display-card-main-content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"display-card-main-content\">\n<div class=\"display-card-content image-column\">\n<p>                        <!--    Rating block community and brand ratings --><br \/>\n                        <!--  Image --><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-img  has-image-group\" data-stnl=\"%7B%22category%22%3A%22Click%20Interactions%22%2C%22name%22%3A%22Display%20Card%22%2C%22action%22%3A%22Fullscreen%20Image%20Load%22%2C%22once%22%3Atrue%7D\" data-stnl-group-once=\"YYI9Mu9uoS\">\n<div class=\"body-img portrait \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  img-article-square\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-09-dec-2024-02-13-am-5318.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;&quot;\">\n                                                                                                                                                            <picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-09-dec-2024-02-13-am-5318.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=300&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-09-dec-2024-02-13-am-5318.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=300&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-09-dec-2024-02-13-am-5318.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=400&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-09-dec-2024-02-13-am-5318.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=400&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-09-dec-2024-02-13-am-5318.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=320&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-09-dec-2024-02-13-am-5318.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=320&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"960\" height=\"1440\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Tag Page Cover Art\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-09-dec-2024-02-13-am-5318.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=480&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-09-dec-2024-02-13-am-5318.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=480&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>                        <!-- User Rating widget --><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"display-card-content info-column\">\n<p>                        <!--  Display card community and brand rating widget --><br \/>\n                                                                         <!--  Display card open critics widget --><\/p>\n<p>                                        <!--  Display card main info widget --><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-info main-info\">\n<dl>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>Released<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tApril 24, 2025<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>ESRB<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\tMature 17+ \/ Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>Developer(s)<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSandfall Interactive<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>Publisher(s)<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKepler Interactive<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<\/dl><\/div>\n<p>                                        <!--  Display card main info widget end --><\/p>\n<p>                    <!--  Display card media widget start --><\/p>\n<p>                                        <!--  Display card media widget end --><\/p>\n<p>                    <!-- Where to play button preview --><\/p>\n<p>                    <!-- Where to play preview end --><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <!-- Extra content section, display hidden by default --><br \/>\n            <input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"extra-content-c578-4552-9f951e55bb98\" name=\"extra-content-c578-4552-9f951e55bb98\" class=\"expand-extra-info-checkbox css-menu-checkbox\"\/> <!-- Checkbox: control the expandable behavior  of the extra info --><\/p>\n<p>            <!-- Display card footer --><\/p>\n<p>            <!-- PROS and CONS section --><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Source: Bloomberg<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/gamerant.com\/clair-obscur-expedition-33-generative-ai-use-controversy-comment-response\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 developer Sandfall Interactive has promised that, in the future, everything from the studio will be made by humans and not AI&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23074,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[5983,9535,3697,5254,13288],"class_list":["post-23073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech-gadgets-reviews","tag-comments","tag-controversy","tag-developer","tag-expedition","tag-genai","wpcat-32-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23073"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23073\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}