The Indie Game Awards has rescinded two significant accolades from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, namely Game of the Year and Debut Game, following the revelation that developer Sandfall Interactive employed generative AI in the game's production. This decision was made after the organization confirmed that the game's development did not adhere to its strict rules against the use of generative AI, which was explicitly stated in their guidelines.
Although Sandfall claimed the AI was only used for placeholder textures that were eventually removed, some of these assets inadvertently remained in the final version of the game. Consequently, the Indie Game Awards announced that the use of generative AI disqualified Clair Obscur from its nominations, despite acknowledging the game's quality.
As a result, the awards will now be presented to the second-highest scoring entries, with Blue Prince taking home Game of the Year and Sorry We’re Closed receiving the Debut Game award. The controversy comes despite Clair Obscur's recent success at The Game Awards earlier this month, where it won multiple honors and reportedly sold over 5 million copies.