Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 left its mark on 2025 in a way that no other game did. While there were many, many great titles released last year, it felt like Sandfall Interactive's RPG conjured a perfect storm to not only impress critics, but feel like it was the only game anyone was talking about.
Speaking with the BBC, the CEO of Kepler Interactive - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's publisher - Alexis Garavaryan revealed some of the key details behind the game's success. Something that stood out was setting it at a $50 price point, something that rarely happens with big game releases these days.
"I think ultimately we've seen a number of larger companies increase prices quite regularly. We try to think, 'what do we think the price should be?' And then we price it lower, so that when players buy a game from us, they feel like they're getting a bargain," Garavaryan said. "We want them to feel like we are respectful of their money, respectful of their time, and that fundamentally, every time they buy a game from us, they're getting a great deal."
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The quality of the experience provided for that lower price point also helped the game stand out. "I think we are living in an industry where players have access to exceptional video games on a weekly basis," Garavaryan continued. "If you want to deserve their attention, their money, I think you need to bring something to the table that's truly great and truly special."
It is possible to sell millions of copies of a $70 or $80 game, Nintendo knows that all too well. However, if you drop the price down, you're opening up the doors to a lot of people who might want to give your game a go, but don't have the budget for $70 to go down the drain if they don't like it. It's almost like a maths equation, really. Would you rather sell 600,000 copies of a $70 game, or 1.5 million of a $50 game?