Veteran dev says Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 team’s inexperience 'ruined' his worldview

According to Gamesradar, Adrian Chmielarz, a 34-year game development veteran and creative director on Witchfire, said learning that many developers on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 were inexperienced has "ruined" his worldview.

Chmielarz told GamesIndustry.biz that Sandfall Interactive hired a lot of newcomers who "didn't make a game before," and that, despite some experienced staff such as creative director Guillaume Broche having Ubisoft background, many core team members were new to game development. He noted that last year Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 showed a studio outside the traditional AAA space could build a title that rivals larger studios, and that both Sandfall and smaller studios like The Astronauts make use of outsourcing.

From a designer's perspective he said the game contains "an incredible amount of smart decisions that allow them to make a game that looks AAA, but is in reality full of shortcuts," and added he now does not know what to do after learning about the team's relative inexperience.

Key Topics

Culture, Adrian Chmielarz, Clair Obscur, Sandfall Interactive, Guillaume Broche, Witchfire