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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Dominates GDCA Nominations with Eight Nods

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Image Credit: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 / Sandfall Interactive

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has secured eight nominations at the upcoming Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA).


The Game Developers Choice Awards are widely respected because they are voted on by developers themselves, which adds weight to the recognition.


This year’s event will take place on March 12 during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, while the Independent Games Festival (IGF) awards will be held a day earlier on March 11.


Expedition 33’s nominations include:

  • Best Audio

  • Best Debut

  • Best Design

  • Innovation Award

  • Best Narrative

  • Best Technology

  • Best Visual Art

  • Game of the Year


The only category it missed out on was the Social Impact award.


The game already made history at The Game Awards, winning 9 trophies and surpassing Baldur’s Gate 3’s record. It also matched the Dungeons & Dragons RPG at the Golden Joysticks, taking home 7 awards.


Trailing behind Expedition 33 at the GDCA is Ghost of Yōtei, which picked up 5 nominations, including Game of the Year. Blue Prince and Donkey Kong Bananza followed with 4 nominations each, while Death Stranding 2: On the Beach earned recognition in 3 categories.


Baby Steps, meanwhile, led the IGF nominations with 5, including the prestigious Seumas McNally Grand Prize.


Interestingly, despite some public debate about whether Expedition 33 qualifies as an indie game, it did not receive any nominations at the IGFs.


Here’s the complete list of nominees for the 26th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA):


Game of the Year

  • Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury)

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)

  • Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)

  • Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

  • Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)

  • Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)

  • Honorable Mentions: Absolum, BALL X PIT, Hades II


Best Debut

  • BALL X PIT (Kenny Sun & Friends / Devolver Digital)

  • Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury)

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)

  • Dispatch (Adhoc Studio)

  • Honorable Mentions: ARC Raiders, Consume Me, Hollow Knight: Silksong, The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy, The Roottrees are Dead


Best Narrative

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

  • Despelote

  • Dispatch

  • Ghost of Yōtei

  • Split Fiction

  • Honorable Mentions: Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, South of Midnight, The Outer Worlds 2, The Séance of Blake Manor


Best Design

  • BALL X PIT

  • Blue Prince

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

  • Donkey Kong Bananza

  • Split Fiction

  • Honorable Mentions: Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Ghost of Yōtei, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, The Alters


Best Visual Art

  • Absolum

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

  • Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

  • Ghost of Yōtei

  • Hades II

  • Keeper

  • Honorable Mentions: Hollow Knight: Silksong, South of Midnight, Sword of the Sea, The Midnight Walk


Best Audio

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

  • Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

  • Ghost of Yōtei

  • Rift of the NecroDancer

  • South of Midnight

  • Honorable Mentions: ARC Raiders, Donkey Kong Bananza, Doom: The Dark Ages, Lumines Arise, To a T


Best Technology

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

  • Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

  • Donkey Kong Bananza

  • Ghost of Yōtei

  • Split Fiction

  • Honorable Mentions: ARC Raiders, Battlefield 6, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, PEAK


Innovation Award

  • BALL X PIT

  • Baby Steps

  • Blue Prince

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

  • Donkey Kong Bananza

  • Honorable Mentions: CloverPit, Consume Me, REPO, Sunderfolk, To a T


Social Impact Award

  • And Roger

  • Consume Me

  • Despelote

  • Dispatch

  • Honorable Mentions: Herdling, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, PEAK, To a T


The nominations were selected by the GDCA-specific International Choice Awards Network, an invitation-only group of leading game creators. This voting body ensures that the awards reflect the perspective of actual developers rather than just critics or consumers.

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