Guillaume Broche, creative director of Expedition 33, has recently stated on the official Xbox Wire blog that Game Pass helped get the word out about the now loved RPG. Broche acknowledges that Game Pass let “a lot of people try our game when maybe they might not have before.”

He mentioned that while a lot of people are RPG fans and that an audience definitely existed, the Xbox subscription service “lowered that barrier of entry” for any gamers who might lean towards the more action-oriented side of the genre as opposed to the turn-based variety. There is certainly something to be said of giving fans a risk-free trial and betting on yourself and the curiosity of gamers to try new things. As Broche put it, players “could start the game, explore Lumiére and the early game, and realize there’s a lot to enjoy here, even if they weren’t expecting it at first.”

It would seem that bet paid off for Sandfall Interactive as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has, since it’s April release, gone on to be one of the most talked about games of 2025 and has been nominated for the most awards in the history of The Game Awards with 12 nominations. The RPG has also broken a Game Pass record in becoming, “the biggest new third-party game launch” for the service.

So, when a game has more players in its first 30 days than any other third-party game in Game Pass history, it’s no surprise that the Creative Director would give them some credit for their success.

On top of all the stated accolades above, Expedition 33 has sold over 5 million copies and has already taken home some hardware in the form of 6 awards at the Golden Joystick Awards. What do you see Clair Obscur winning at The Game Awards this year?

Is it your Game of the Year? Let us know down in the comments and while you’re at it, check out what we thought of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 in our review!