Which games replaced Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as Indie Game Awards winners? Details explored amid generative AI controversy

The Indie Game Awards honored Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 with the Game of the Year and Debut Game awards this year. The recognitions have now been officially revoked.

New winners and nominees of these categories at the 2025 Indie Game Awards are as follows,

Game of the Year

• Absolum
• and Roger
• Blue Prince ( New winner)
• Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Consume Me
• Hades 2
• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Keep Driving
• Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo

Best Debut Game

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Discounty
• Fretless The Wrath of Riffson
• ILA A Frosty Glide
• Sorry We're Closed (New winner)
• Tyrant's Realm

According to the Indie Game Awards' eligibility criteria, game developers need to confirm that no gen AI was used at any stage of development. When Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was submitted, representatives of developer Sandfall Interactive agreed to those terms.

However, on the day the Indie Game Awards 2025 premiered, Sandfall Interactive confirmed that generative AI had been used earlier in production. Hence, the Indie Game Awards officially rescinded its wins.

Indie Game Awards' official statement reads:

"The Indie Game Awards have a hard stance on the use of gen AI throughout the nomination process and during the ceremony itself. 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."

It continues:

"In light of Sandfall Interactive confirming the use of gen AI on the day of the Indie Game Awards 2025 premiere, this does disqualify Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from its nomination."

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Complete updated list of winners and nominees at the 2025 Indie Game Awards

Game of the Year

Absolum: Dotemu, Guard Crush Games, Supamonks

and Roger: TearyHand Studio

Blue Prince: Dogubomb (Winner)

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector: Jump Over the Age

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33: Sandfall Interactive

Consume Me: Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W P, Ken “coda” Snyder

Hades 2: Supergiant Games

Hollow Knight: Silksong: Team Cherry

Keep Driving: YCJY Games

Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo: Pocket Trap

Achievement in Accessibility

Abiotic Factor: Deep Field Games

Barista: YofiAsi

Calm the Storm: Ludic Lemur

Peak: Team PEAK (Winner)

Spray Paint Simulator: North Star Video Games

Squeakross: Home Squeak Home: Alblune

Best ANZ Indie Game Award

Abiotic Factor: Deep Field Games

Hollow Knight: Silksong: Team Cherry

Mars First Logistics: Shape Shop

Proximate: Cain Maddox

Tempopo: Witchbeam

The Drifter: Powerhoof (Winner)

Bite Sized Game

Carimara

Beneath the Forlorn Limbs: Bastinus Rex

FlyKnight: Wabbaboy

Many Nights a Whisper: Deconstructeam, Selkie Harbour

The Dark Queen of Mortholme: Mosu

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Time Flies: Playables (Winner)

Black Voice in Gaming

Advent Neon: CryoGX

Altheia: The Wrath of Aferi: MarsLit Games (Winner)

Sorry We’re Closed: à la mode games

Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match 3 To: Soft Not Weak, LLC

Sunken Stones: Spritewrench

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown: Strange Scaffold

Community Management nominees

Consume Me: Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W P, Ken “coda” Snyder

Date Everything!: Sassy Chap Games

Ikeelya: ALL DAY ALL NIGHT

Peak: Team PEAK (Winner)

Soulstone Survivors: Game Smithing Limited

Strange Scaffold: Strange Scaffold

Best Debut Game

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33: Sandfall Interactive

Discounty: Crinkle Cut Games

Fretless The Wrath of Riffson: Ritual Studios

ILA A Frosty Glide: Magic Rain Studios

Sorry We’re Closed: à la mode games (Winner)

Tyrant’s Realm: Team Tyrant

Emotional Impact nominees

Afterlove EP: Pikselnesia

and Roger: TearyHand Studio (Winner)

Don’t Get Your Hopes Up: Krish Raghav

Henry Halfhead: Lululu Entertainment

Wanderstop: Ivy Road

Wednesdays: Pierre Corbinais, The Pixel Hunt, exaheva

Gameplay Design nominees

Absolum: Dotemu, Guard Crush Games, Supamonks

BallxPit: Kenny Sun (Winner)

Dawnfolk: Darenn Keller

Hades 2: Supergiant Games

Hollow Knight: Silksong: Team Cherry

Keep Driving: YCJY Games

Look Outside: Francis Coulombe

Öoo: NamaTakahashi, tiny cactus studio, Tsuyomi

Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo: Pocket Trap

The King is Watching: Hypnohead

Innovation nominees

Blue Prince: Dogubomb (Winner)

FreeRide: Flightyfelon Games Inc.

Gas Station Story: enzi

PBJ The Musical: Philipp Stollenmayer

Ruffy and the Riverside: Zockrates Laboratories UG

Taria and Como: Poppyseed Studio Inc, JuVee Productions

Latin American Indie Game Award nominees

Adventure of Samsara: Ilex Games

Despelote: Julian Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena

Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo: Galla

Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo: Pocket Trap (Winner)

Taria and Como: Poppyseed Studio Inc

Tormented Souls 2: Dual Effect

Music nominees

Everhood 2: Cazok, KM EXP, Stewart Keller, Lewmoth, Chris Nordgren, CatGod, Beat Tape, Dancefloor Is Lava, INFX

Herdling: Joel Schoch

Rift of the NecroDancer: Danny Baranowsky, Alex Moukala, Jules Conroy, Josie Brechner, Sam Webster, Nick Nausbaum (Winner)

Sonokuni: Don Yasa Crew

Sword of the Sea: Austin Wintory

Wheel World: Johnny Jewel, JOON, Orion

Narrative nominees

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector: Jump Over the Age (Winner)

Consume Me: Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W P, Ken “coda” Snyder

Promise Mascot Agency: Kaizen Game Works

The Drifter: Powerhoof, Dave Lloyd

The Roottrees are Dead: Evil Trout Inc.

The Séance of Blake Manor: Spooky Doorway

Solo Development

Lushfoil Photography Sim: Matt Newell

Megabonk: vedinad

Naiad: HiWarp

Spilled!: Lente

Tall Trails: Brady Soglin (Winner)

Vile Exhumed: Cara Cadaver

South African Indie Game Award

Bru and Boegie Get Da Milk!: MIKDOG

Finding Father: Studio Bo

Flibbius McDoogle and The Mysterious Flying Machine: Unsigned Double Collective

Ikeelya: ALL DAY ALL NIGHT

Metavoidal: Yellow Lab Games

Stick It To The Stickman: Free Lives (Winner)

Southeast Asian Indie Game Award

Afterlove EP: Pikselnesia

Artis Impact: Mas (Winner)

Glyphica Typing Survival: aliasBLACK

Sedap! A Culinary Adventure: kopiforge

Urban Jungle: Kylyk Games

Whisper Mountain Outbreak: Toge Productions

Visual Design nominees

30 Birds: RAM RAM Games, Business Goose Studios (Winner)

Artis Impact: Mas

Cat Detective Albert Wilde: beyondthosehills

Eclipsium: Housefire

Mashina: Talha and Jack Co, J King Spooner, Talha Kaya

Slime Rancher 2: Monomi Park

Women Led Indie Game Award

Cabernet: Party for Introverts

Duck Detective The Ghost of Glamping: Happy Broccoli Games

Gemporium A Cute Mining Sim: Merge Conflict Studio

Spilled!: Lente

Urban Myth Dissolution Center: Hakababunko (Winner)

White Knuckle: Dark Machine Games

Indie Vanguard Class Selections

Chantey: Gortyn Code

Neon Knives: Cookiecrayon

Seasonala Cemetery: Gabby DaRienzo, Kait Tremblay, Jen Costa, Nina Wong, Halina Heron, Mobeen Fiktree, Jacqueline de Leon

HYPERBEAT: Alice Bottino, Chancellor Wallin

Wildwood Down: Crashable Studios

The Mohammad Fahmi Storyteller Award

Maddy Thorson: Extremely OK Games, Ltd.

Industry Impact Award

Game Devs of Color: represented by Catt Small, Brian S Chung, Josh Boykin

Congratulations to all winners at the 2025 Indie Game Awards.