Summary
The relatively low price ofClair Obscur: Expedition 33is rooted in a desire to make the game as accessible as possible, Sandfall Interactive said. The developer also offered assurances to fans worried that the RPG’s price is a signal thatClair Obscur: Expedition 33won’t have a lot of content.
Originally announced during the June 2024 Xbox Games Showcase,Clair Obscur: Expedition 33is a JRPG-like experiencemade by Montpellier, France-based studio Sandfall Interactive. Its pre-orders went live in mid-October 2024, when it was revealed that the game will retail for $49.99. This took some fans by surprise, to the point that there was even some online speculation about the listed price possibly being a mistake.
In a subsequent statement, Sandfall Interactive confirmed that the $49.99 pricing is “accurate.” Elaborating on the reasons behindClair Obscur: Expedition 33’s budget price, the studio said that it wanted to make its debut title maximally accessible. Offering it at a $20 (~28%) discount compared to what a typical big-budget game costs these days on release is its way of doing so. “We aren’t an AAA studio, this is our first game, and we want as many people discovering our world as possible,” a company representative explained.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Promises Decent-Sized Campaign
The same statement also saw the studio reflect on the game’s length, estimating thatClair Obscur: Expedition 33will take at least 30 hours to beat for those who solely focus on its main story. While that figure doesn’t exactly make it one of thelongest RPGs ever, Sandfall also promised to include a plethora of side content for completionists to enjoy.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33is presently targeting a spring 2025 launch. It will be published by British game distributor Kepler Interactive. The PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of the RPGwill be released physicallyin addition to digitally, while the PC port will be digital-only, available via Steam and the Epic Games Store.
We aren’t an AAA studio, this is our first game, and we want as many people discovering our world as possible.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33is likely to face stiff competitionat launch, as there is no shortage of high-profile RPGs slated for 2025. But its $49.99 price tag in an era of $70 games could go a long way in helping it stand out from its rivals, not least because it reflects a consumer-friendly mindset. The RPG will technically be playable for an even lower price at launch, as it has already been confirmed as a day-one Xbox Game Pass release. The decision to bring it to Microsoft’s subscription service aligns with Sandfall’s newly stated goal of makingClair Obscur: Expedition 33as accessible as it can possibly be.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
WHERE TO PLAY
Once a year, the Paintress wakes and paints upon her monolith. Paints her cursed number. And everyone of that age turns to smoke and fades away. Year by year, that number ticks down and more of us are erased. Tomorrow she’ll wake and paint “33.” And tomorrow we depart on our final mission - Destroy the Paintress, so she can never paint death again.We are Expedition 33.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a ground-breaking turn-based RPG with unique real-time mechanics, making battles more immersive and addictive than ever. Explore a fantasy world inspired by Belle Époque France in which you battle devastating enemies.
