Clair Obscur director says putting it on Game Pass ‘lowered the barrier of entry’ and helped to reach a wider audience
“Xbox helped us get the word out there and reach a lot of players”
The creative director of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has acknowledged the role Game Pass played in helping to spread the word about the game’s quality.
In a statement on the official Xbox Wire blog, creative director Guillaume Broche said he was grateful for the support that fans of the game have given it since it was released in April.
“This year has been so far beyond what any of us could have imagined, and it’s down to how passionate and supportive our fans have been to make that a reality,” Broche said. “It’s really nerve-wracking to be a new studio releasing our first game, but the support of everyone has really made everything feel like a dream.”
Broche has attributed some of this success to Xbox Game Pass, which says was a useful way of getting the game in the hands of people who may not traditionally play turn-based RPGs but were more willing to try it out as part of their subscription, rather than outright buying it at full price.
“From being there to announce our game back in Summer 2024, to coming to the studio for the Developer Direct video in January, Xbox helped us get the word out there and reach a lot of players,” Broche said, adding that Game Pass let “a lot of people try our game when maybe they might not have before”.
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“The turn-based RPG genre has a lot of fans but sometimes it might put people who prefer more real-time action games off, but Game Pass lowered that barrier of entry. They could just try it and see how it feels. So a lot of curious players could start the game, explore Lumière and the early game, and realize there’s a lot to enjoy here, even if they weren’t expecting it at first.”
It was announced last week that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been nominated for 12 awards at The Game Awards, making it the most nominated game in the event’s history.
The game recent won six awards at the Golden Joystick Awards, including Ultimate Game of the Year and Best Lead Performer and Best Supporting Performer for Jennifer English and Ben Starr respectively.
