{"id":70179,"date":"2026-07-29T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=70179"},"modified":"2026-07-28T17:01:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T08:01:37","slug":"clair-obscur-expedition-33-director-eliminating-limitations-is-a-big-mistake-we-talk-to-sandfall-interactive-about-staying-small-japanese-influences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/interviews\/clair-obscur-expedition-33-director-eliminating-limitations-is-a-big-mistake-we-talk-to-sandfall-interactive-about-staying-small-japanese-influences\/","title":{"rendered":"Clair\u00a0Obscur: Expedition 33 director says eliminating limitations\u00a0in development\u00a0is a\u00a0“big mistake.”\u00a0We talk to\u00a0Sandfall\u00a0Interactive about staying small, Japanese influences, and\u00a0what’s\u00a0next\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Epic Games Japan and Sandfall Interactive recently hosted a Clair Obscur: Expedition 33<\/strong> postmortem event in Yokohama, Japan, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the development of 2025’s Game of the Year. After the presentation, AUTOMATON sat down with the developers to discuss their Japanese influences, their views on JRPGs, why Unreal Engine was the right choice for their small team, and why the studio has no intention of significantly increasing its headcount.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Participants are as follows:\u00a0
\u00a0
Guillaume Broche<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Sandfall\u00a0Interactive CEO\u00a0and\u00a0Creative Director\u00a0\u00a0
Tom\u00a0Guillermin<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Sandfall\u00a0Interactive\u00a0Co-founder and\u00a0CTO\u00a0\u00a0
Alan Reynaud\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0Lead Character\u00a0and\u00a0Concept Artist
Alexandre Breton<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Technical Artist\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more about\u00a0Sandfall\u00a0Interactive’s views on physical disc production ending<\/a>, check out\u00a0part two of this interview.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Making a game that would fill the gap left by Lost Odyssey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n


\u2014Could\u00a0you\u00a0tell me\u00a0about the influence Japanese games and anime have had on your approach to game design? What were\u00a0some of\u00a0the biggest Japanese influences on Expedition 33?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guillaume Broche: <\/strong>Growing up, I’d say 95% of the games I was playing were Japanese games, so I’ve always been super influenced by them. My first real video game memory was Final Fantasy VIII on PS1. Before that, I’d also played some games on the Mega Drive, but they were smaller titles and I don’t remember them very well because I was too young. But to this day, JRPGs in particular continue to be one of my favorite genres. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And of course, one of the main influences in my life is the Final Fantasy series and the work of Hironobu Sakaguchi, including titles like Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon. Other JRPGs that have influenced me include the Shin Megami Tensei and Persona series, the Atelier series, and Tales of Vesperia. I’ve said it a million times by now, but I pretty much play almost all JRPGs available at the time. Not every single one, but really a lot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obviously, Expedition 33\u2019s gameplay is very much inspired by the older Final Fantasy games. It\u2019s turn-based, and you have three characters facing three monsters, so they were definitely a massive inspiration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Also, as I grew up, I think I’d been missing that kind of game ever since Lost Odyssey. Lost Odyssey was, for me, the last big realistic turn-based game. You still have titles like Yakuza and Persona coming out now, but they’re more stylized. On the other hand, I felt like the grand, epic, realistic kind of turn-based games like Final Fantasy X and Last Odyssey didn’t exist anymore. Since that’s my favorite type of game personally, I just wanted to make it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014How about anime? I believe you’ve mentioned being a big Ghibli fan, but have you drawn influence from any specific titles?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guillaume Broche:<\/strong> Yes, I know that for a lot of people in the West, Disney is a big part of their childhood memories, but for me, it’s Ghibli. Especially Spirited Away. I think I’ve seen that movie 50 times, no joke. It\u2019s a masterpiece from A to Z, and I also love other films by the studio. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, I think one of the anime that inspired me for Expedition 33\u2019s story was Attack on Titan. I really like the idea of a group of heroes fighting together, and I especially love the uniform. When you see any character from Attack on Titan, you instantly know they\u2019re an Attack on Titan character because of the uniform. That\u2019s something I really wanted to bring over into Expedition 33, making the game recognizable just from its uniforms.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, I\u2019m rewatching Attack on Titan right now because I haven’t watched it for at least six years. I’m on season four now, almost at the end, and really, it\u2019s an absolute masterpiece for me.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alan Reynaud:<\/strong> For the characters, there were a lot of anime that had a big influence on us. One of them is Bleach. I have to mention Bleach because the character designs in the series are spectacular. One of the things we took from it was designs that are super simple yet incredibly memorable. We wanted to have something like that, with a \u201crule of cool\u201d approach. I’d say that was a big inspiration for the character creation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014I<\/strong>n your acceptance speech after winning Game of The Year, you extended thanks to Hironobu Sakaguchi. Could you tell me more about why you decided to thank him specifically?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guillaume Broche: <\/strong>Because I see him as the original man behind Final Fantasy, which very obviously inspired me. It\u2019s the series that really made me fall in love with video games. And I\u2019ve played literally all of them. It’s one of, or maybe the most influential series in my life. I know all the characters by heart, and I know all the music by heart. The Final Fantasy soundtracks are probably the soundtracks I\u2019ve listened to the most in my entire life. Simply, it’s a universe I’ve been living in ever since I was little, and it’s the only one that has so strongly ingrained itself in me. 
 
We went to Akihabara yesterday and the day before. There was a Final Fantasy Eorzea Cafe, and I was literally like a kid going, \u201cThis is so cool!\u201d (laughs). It’s so important to me that I just thought it would be right to thank the person that allowed us to ship the game through their influence.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s also the message of the game – “For those who come after.” What you make today can influence what others make tomorrow. That’s why I wanted to express respect toward the one who laid the trail for us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What a night at #TheGameAwards<\/a>!
As our team celebrates this unforgettable evening, we want to raise our glasses and celebrate with you \ud83e\udd42

Thank you to everyone who helped bring Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to life. Thank you to all our players for your passion, the love you\u2019ve\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/gfWrt6VUQR<\/a><\/p>— Sandfall Interactive – CO:E33 out now! (@SandfallGames) December 12, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>