Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been named game of the year at this year's Game Awards.
The French-developed role-playing game (RPG) cleaned up in 9 of the 10 categories it was up for, with further wins in best narrative, best music, and best performance.
It fended off competition from Death Stranding 2, Nintendo platformer Donkey Kong Bananza, indie games Hollow Knight: Silksong and Hades 2, and medieval adventure Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 to claim the top prize.
During the ceremony in Los Angeles, players also got their first glimpses of two new Tomb Raider games, sequel Control Resonant, and a new Star Wars role-playing game.
Clair Obscur is set in a world where a supernatural being known as The Paintress prevents the population from growing past a certain age. The game tells the story of a group of adventurers on a quest to destroy The Paintress and has received praise for its emotional narrative and old-school turn-based battles.
The game was developed by Sandfall Interactive, a team formed by former Ubisoft employees pursuing their dream project. Accepting the game of the year award, director Guillaume Broche thanked his team and extended gratitude to those in the industry who share their knowledge through tutorials online.
Clair Obscur was the hot favorite going into the awards, receiving 12 nominations—the most in the ceremony's history. Its composer, Lorien Testard, won best score and music, marking his debut after gaining recognition through his SoundCloud uploads.
Clair Obscur also secured wins in categories like best role-playing game, best independent game, and best debut indie game. Jennifer English won best performance for her role as Maelle, dedicating her award to neurodivergent individuals watching.
The game missed out only on two awards: Battlefield 6 won for best audio design, while open-world RPG Wuthering Waves received the fan-voted Player's Voice award. Donkey Kong Bananza was named best family game, and Hollow Knight: Silksong took home the best action-adventure award. Various other games won awards in different categories, showcasing the diversity and talent in the gaming industry.
While there were criticisms in the past regarding the focus on advertisements over actual awards, this year's show made efforts to address those concerns. Developers have urged for continued recognition of the industry's ongoing challenges, such as job losses. The Future Class scheme, aimed to highlight rising stars in gaming, faced complaints of tokenism and was abandoned this year, prompting alumni to voice their discontent.
For full details of winners, the Game Awards website has a complete list.
