- The former PlayStation boss, Shuhei Yoshida, says that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a game that follows the ideal development path.
- The title perfectly balances the ambition of an AAA title and an AA budget, while only being developed by 33 developers.
- The independent vision of the small studio and the game’s pricing also helped it become a stellar hit after release.
From being the highest-rated title of 2025 to selling double the copies of current JRPGs, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has achieved many accolades shortly after its launch. However, the ex-PlayStation boss believes the game was set up for success.
Shuhei Yoshida clarifies that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 did everything right by following an ideal development path. Therefore, it is the perfect balance between the ambition of an AAA game and an AA budget simultaneously.
Why it matters: The former PlayStation boss believes that the gaming industry needs to follow the example set by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 because it benefits both developers and players.
In an interview with PlayStation Inside, Shuhei Yoshida highlights that Clair Obscur was made by 33 developers and is priced fairly while offering AAA-level quality without any shortcomings, which has helped it gain the critical level of success it deserved.
Clair Obscur is the perfect balance between the ambition of a AAA game, an AA budget and studio, and an independent vision.
He argues this is exactly the path the industry needs to favor to ensure that both developers and players get the best results. Additionally, AA titles like Clair Obscur are necessary because their success helps fund studios’ major AAA projects.
All this mixed, at an affordable price and a respectable lifespan, … [Makes] it a great game and it is this path that the industry must favor.
Clair Obscur’s development only began because the director was bored and left Ubisoft to pursue his dreams. The game writer also clarified that we can expect DLCs or sequels in the future.
Do you think Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 perfectly catches the ambition of the AAA genre and the low budget of AA games? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion on the Tech4Gamers forum.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.