Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead says Xbox Game Pass "lowered that barrier of entry" for his turn-based RPG, a genre that "might put people who prefer more real-time action games off"

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead says Xbox Game Pass "lowered that barrier of entry" for his turn-based RPG, a genre that "might put people who prefer more real-time action games off" News By Catherine Lewis published 3 December 2025

"They could just try it and see how it feels"

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 creative director Guillaume Broche says Xbox Game Pass "lowered that barrier of entry" for his beloved turn-based RPG, which sits in a genre that "might put people who prefer more real-time action games off."

In a new post on the official Xbox Wire blog, it's revealed that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was 2025's biggest new third-party game launch on Game Pass – definitely no small feat, but it's perhaps unsurprising given its immense popularity and success. Broche tells Xbox Wire: "This year has been so far beyond what any of us could have imagined, and it's down to how passionate and supportive our fans have been to make that a reality. It's really nerve-wracking to be a new studio releasing our first game, but the support of everyone has really made everything feel like a dream."

It's not necessarily that the game's popularity led to its huge Game Pass stats, though, as Broche suggests it may have worked the other way around – at least, in part. Being on Xbox's subscription service allowed for "a lot of people" to "try our game when maybe they might not have before," he explains.

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"The turn-based RPG genre has a lot of fans but sometimes it might put people who prefer more real-time action games off, but Game Pass lowered that barrier of entry," he continues. "They could just try it and see how it feels. So a lot of curious players could start the game, explore Lumière and the early game, and realize there's a lot to enjoy here, even if they weren't expecting it at first."

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has had an amazing year – it's bagged a record-breaking number of nominations at The Game Awards 2025, and it already won seven accolades at the Golden Joystick Awards, including the Ultimate Game of the Year award. We'll just have to wait and see how many of those Game Awards nominations turn into wins next week on December 11.

"After Baldur's Gate 3, I didn't think we'd be in this position": The team behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 can't quite believe they've matched Larian's award wins.

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Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. CATEGORIES PC Gaming PS5 Xbox Series X Platforms PlayStation Xbox Catherine LewisSocial Links NavigationDeputy News Editor

I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.

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