French developer Sandfall Interactive lost two Indie Game Awards honors this week after confirming generative AI use in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The RPG's Game of the Year and Best Debut awards were retracted December 23 following the studio's admission.
Indie Game Awards organizers cited strict anti-AI policies for the disqualification. "Games developed using generative AI are strictly ineligible for nomination," their FAQ states. Sandfall Interactive had previously agreed no AI was used during submission.
Game director Guillaume Broche addressed the controversy in a December Q&A session with YouTube channel Sushi. "Everything in the game is human-made," Broche stated. "When AI first came out in 2022, we'd already started on the game. It was just a new tool, we tried it, and we didn't like it at all. It felt wrong."
The studio experimented with AI-generated placeholder textures during development but removed them before release. Players discovered residual AI assets post-launch, which Sandfall patched within five days. Broche emphasized the limited scope: "We had originally used it as a placeholder for textures we missed, but we took it out as soon as we found it."
Sandfall Interactive now commits to human-only development. "It's pretty hard what the future will look like, but everything will be made by humans from us," Broche declared. The studio's clarification followed similar AI admissions from Larian Studios earlier this month.
Larian CEO Swen Vincke acknowledged using generative AI for "PowerPoint presentations, develop concept art, and write placeholder text" in a Bloomberg interview. That revelation sparked industry-wide debate about AI's role in creative processes.
The Indie Game Awards redistributed the retracted honors to Sorry We're Closed (Best Debut) and Blue Prince (Game of the Year). Blue Prince publisher Raw Fury explicitly denied AI use in their game's development, stating it was "built and crafted with full human instinct."
Industry figures remain divided on AI adoption. Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima compared AI to smartphones, suggesting it's irreversible technology. Kingdom Come: Deliverance director Daniel Vávra argued "AI is here to stay with us" despite potential problems.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 previously won nine categories at The Game Awards 2025, setting a record for most wins in the event's history. The critically acclaimed RPG maintains a 92/100 OpenCritic score with 97% critic recommendation.
Generative AI controversies have intensified throughout 2025 as studios balance efficiency gains against creative integrity concerns. Embark Studios faced criticism for AI-generated voiceover in Arc Raiders, while Activision addressed alleged AI artwork in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.
Sandfall Interactive's experience reflects broader industry tensions. While some developers view AI as inevitable workflow enhancement, others maintain strict human-only creative processes. The Indie Game Awards' hardline stance establishes clear boundaries for participating studios.
The French developer's transparency about early AI experimentation contrasts with the awards' zero-tolerance policy. This discrepancy highlights evolving standards as the gaming industry grapples with rapidly advancing AI capabilities.
Broche's final statement underscores Sandfall's position: "But yeah, the concept art, voice actors, everything is human made. It's pretty hard what the future [of the industry] will look like, but everything will be made by humans from us."
