The Indie Game Awards has rescinded the Game of the Year and Debut Game honors from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 because of its incorporation of generative AI. Hosted by Six One Indie, the awards recognize outstanding achievements in independent video game creation. Games eligible must not be affiliated with the conventional publishing model, nor owned or financially dominated by a major corporation, or utilize generative AI in their development, making them ineligible for recognition.

The developer of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Sandfall Interactive, employed generative AI, resulting in disqualification. The awards committee indicated that a representative from Sandfall Interactive initially assured that no generative AI was employed. However, on the day of the awards, Sandfall Interactive conceded to using generative AI art, leading to the game’s disqualification. Even after the removal of AI-generated assets, the game breached the awards’ guidelines.

The honors for Game of the Year and Debut Game will now be presented to the second-highest ranked titles. The Debut Game title is awarded to à la mode games’ Sorry We’re Closed, while Game of the Year 2025 is granted to Dogubomb’s Blue Prince.

Sandfall Interactive had previously acknowledged AI use in a July discussion with El País but did not clarify that it was generative. They later confirmed that generative AI was utilized for placeholder textures, which were substituted shortly after the game’s launch. Players recognized AI-generated textures upon release, leading to a swift resolution from the developers. The Indie Game Awards remained unaware of these occurrences until the winners were revealed.

Responses to the disqualification are varied. Some back the firm position against generative AI, while others believe the usage was minimal and should be permissible. The awards’ standards necessitate no generative AI involvement, irrespective of the degree.

Sandfall Interactive has not issued a statement regarding the retraction, but Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has received other honors, including Game of the Year at the 2025 Game Awards and six Golden Joystick awards. The involvement of generative AI in game development is a contentious issue, raising worries about job displacement and market oversaturation with subpar content.