The current trend in Big Business is that as numbers grow, so does the business itself, until eventually, the well runs dry and there’s nothing left. However, developer Sandfall Interactive is taking a different approach with their game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which has won numerous awards and sold many copies. Instead of expanding, director Guillaume Broche believes in embracing limitations for creativity’s sake. He stated in Edge’s Knowledge newsletter that they prefer to stay small as it allows them to be the best version of themselves.
Broche added, “We could easily scale up with the money we have now, but we enjoy creating games more than managing a larger team. These past five years have been some of the best of my life, and I want to continue being happy like that.” While expansion is still a possibility, Sandfall Interactive may choose to work with outsourced studios rather than growing their own team.
It’s worth noting that Clair Obscur was not developed by a small group, but the decision to not chase after money at the expense of creativity is a refreshing change in the industry. The studio’s focus remains on creating quality games and maintaining their passion for game development.
