Last night, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the critically-acclaimed breakout RPG from Sandfall Interactive, took home yet another Game of the Year award, only for the award to be completely stripped a few hours later over the game's alleged AI usage.
As first spotted by Insider Gaming, the Indie Game Awards have stripped Expedition 33 of its Game of the Year and Debut Game wins after voting had been completed, and the show was recorded and later aired on Friday.
"The Indie Game Awards have a hard stance on the use of gen AI throughout the nomination process and during the ceremony itself," a statement on the Indie Game Awards' website reads. "When it was submitted for consideration, representatives of Sandfall Interactive agreed that no gen AI was used in the development of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. In light of Sandfall Interactive confirming the use of gen AI art in production on the day of the Indie Game Awards 2025 premiere, this does disqualify Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from its nomination."
