‘We couldn’t make that up’: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hits 3.3 million sales after 33 days

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has hit a sales milestone so appropriate that its studio had to promise it’s real.

33 days after its release, Expedition 33 achieved 3.3 million copies sold.

“Thirty-three days ago, we released Clair Obscur: Expedition 33,” the game’s official Bluesky account wrote. “Since then, we’ve sold 3.3 million copies.

“Seriously. As of today. We couldn’t make that up. Another entry on the long list of surreal moments that your support has made real. Thank you all.”

According to publisher Kepler Interactive, the 3.3 million number doesn’t include additional downloads though Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, meaning the total number of players could be significantly higher.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was released on April 24, and has enjoyed widespread critical acclaim with a Metacritic score currently standing at 92 on PS5, 91 on Xbox Series X/S and 91 on PC.

Despite being developed by French studio Sandfall Interactive, the game has been heralded as one of the best recent ‘JRPG’ adventures, a notion shared by Japanese publication Famitsu which scored it 36/40, its four reviewers awarding it 9/10.

“This title is one of those so-called ‘foreign-made JRPGs’ that have been influenced by Japanese RPGs, and I think it’s a masterpiece that has been crafted with a level of visual quality and scope that rivals the biggest titles in the genre”, a Famitsu report read (via machine translation).

“I don’t intend to delve too deeply into the definition of JRPG here, but personally, I think the key difference lies in the fact that Western RPGs often focus on ‘role-playing’ within a given world, while Japanese RPGs prioritise the characters created by the developers driving the story forward.

“In that sense, this game is unquestionably Japanese in its RPG roots, yet it goes beyond mere imitation to create something uniquely its own, infused with the developers’ sense of French culture and art.”

The game was also praised by French president Emmanuel Macron, who commended Sandfall for hitting 1 million sales in its first three days.

“One million copies sold and currently one of the highest-rated games in history, and yes, it’s French,” Macron wrote. “Congratulations to Sandfall Interactive and all the creators of Expedition 33. You are a shining example of French audacity and creativity.”