Indie Game Awards Disqualifies Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Due To Gen AI Usage - Insider Gaming
The Indie Game Awards were held on December 18th, and as many expected, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 took home Game of the Year and Best Debut Game. However, the situation has shifted: the Indie Game Awards committee made the major decision to strip Clair Obscur and developer Sandfall Interactive of their awards due to the use of generative AI in the game.
In an official statement released Saturday afternoon, the organizers, Six One Indie, revealed that this action was taken after the fact was confirmed following the conclusion of voting and the completion of the ceremony recording.
The statement read: “The Indie Game Awards maintains a strict stance on the use of generative AI throughout the nomination process and the awards ceremony. At the time of submission, representatives from Sandfall Interactive confirmed that generative AI was not used in the development of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.”
“However, on the day of the Indie Game Awards 2025 premiere, Sandfall Interactive confirmed the use of generative AI, leading to the disqualification of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.”
"The community is split: some think the 'anti-AI' rules are too strict for resource-strapped indie devs, but everyone agrees that lying to the committee was a massive blunder that deserved the DQ."
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