As part of IGN Live, Sandfall Interactive has unveiled the opening 10 minutes of an all-new documentary following the team as it developed and released Clair Obscur: 33 Expedition.
The exclusive clip shows the documentary starts at the end, with Sandfall developers counting down the seconds to the moment its inaugural game went live. It then rewinds to the beginning, introducing us to the development team, the motion capture actors, and the story behind the game.
There is no release date as yet for the documentary, as it’s currently a work-in-progress. However, the ten-minute taster offers a great insight into what to expect, including the revelation that that delightful moment between Monoco and Verso was entirely improvised.
Jennifer English (Maelle), Ben Starr (Verso), Shala Nyx (Sciel), Kirsty Rider (Lune), Rich Keeble (Monoco), and Maxence Cazorla (Esquie) also joined the IGN Live stage to talk about their work on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
“We were all really excited,” English said. “We weren’t as stressed as the developers were, but I was dead nervous about it because we put all our love and heart into it and hope it pays off – and thankfully it did.”
“You can do whatever you do in the studio, but then it stops being yours. You don’t know what it’s going to become,” Ben Starr added. “There are so many circumstances that go into the release of a game, and I felt, personally, there was a huge amount of pressure. It’s a game I wanted to be good for the team because they had put so much work into it, and because we didn’t just come into it, we were an additional part of it.”
Sciel actor Shala Nyx also explained how their character has resonated so deeply with players.
“It’s so cinematic. It’s just so wonderful to be the voice and body of a character that is so rich and has so much emotional depth,” Nyx said.
“I’ve had so many people reach out to me about how my character has helped them with their depression and helped them with their mental health. It’s so ephemeral and every moment is so rich, and that’s a testament to the writing.”
“Outstanding artwork and glorious combat bring Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s bold, painterly world to life,” reads Eurogamer’s Clair Obscur review.
On its first day, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 sold 500,000 copies. Within three days, the game had hit a million copies sold. Then, 33 days after its release on 28th May, the game has reached 3.3 million sales across PC and console. “We couldn’t make that up,” said a social post sharing the news.