Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has surpassed almost everyone’s expectations. The stylized turn-based combat of the game was always going to draw a big crowd, but neither the players nor the devs expected it to hit 500,000 copies sold on day one, eventually reaching one million. It’s safe to say it’s one of the biggest launches of the year.
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Eventually, it unseated Blue Prince as the highest rated game of 2025. It doesn’t stop there; it seems Expedition 33 has gone ahead and claimed the spot of highest player-rated game of all time on Metacritic. With all this success, players have been wondering about how its Game Pass launch must have negatively affected its earnings. However, other indie devs have said that Game Pass is a boon.
Indie Devs Think Launching Their Game On Game Pass Is Worth It
Microsoft’s Game Pass deal with each game is likely different. The platform offers visibility and a ready player base to indie games that do not have the marketing budget of big triple-A titles. This has got some players wondering if it was a bad idea for Sandfall to have a Game Pass launch, considering the amount of revenue that it would have seen from its success.
However, Palworld comms director and publishing manager John “Bucky” Buckley thinks that it’s definitely worth it. “Expedition 33 is the latest game to get unwillingly dragged through gaming Twitter as people debate the viability of Game Pass,” he said on Twitter. “I feel like I’ve just a little more knowledge on the topic than most so I’ll just say yes, yes it is very worth having your game on Game Pass.”
Palworld was one of the most successful games of last year. It’s still reaping the rewards of that success with its publishing wing. So, you’d think that Buckley may know a thing or two about Game Pass. “We have shipped 2 games on Game Pass and were very happy with both so all I can say is I’m happy with the experience I had,” he said.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Released
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April 24, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
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Sandfall Interactive
- Publisher(s)
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Kepler Interactive
- Engine
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Unreal Engine 5
- Cross-Platform Play
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No
