Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Director left Ubisoft because he was "Bored"

Guillaume Broche, the creative force behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, has opened up about why he left industry giant Ubisoft to found his own studio – and the answer is as brutally honest as it gets: he was bored.

Before Expedition 33 took the gaming world by storm and positioned itself as a strong contender for 2025's Game of the Year, Broche had built an impressive resume. He held senior roles at Ubisoft and Microsoft, contributing to major franchises like Ghost Recon, The Division 2, and Might & Magic. But despite climbing the ladder, Broche felt increasingly stifled by the rigid structure of AAA game development.

In recent interviews with the BBC and Pouce Café, Broche revealed that he had conceived the concept for Expedition 33 during his time at Ubisoft. However, he never pitched the idea. Why? Because, according to him, navigating the corporate maze of a AAA studio to get a new IP off the ground could have taken 25 years.

“Projects like these — with new IPs, original stories, and completely original characters — are super hard to push through in a big company,” said Broche. “There are a lot of approval steps, and in general, you already need to be pretty high up in the hierarchy just to have a chance.”

Tired of waiting, he walked away. In September 2020, Broche left Ubisoft and founded Sandfall Interactive in Montpellier, France. With the freedom to do things on his own terms, Broche and his team brought Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to life — a game praised not only for its artistry and gameplay but also for proving that innovation doesn’t need to come from mega-studios.

The gamble paid off. Within three days of launch, Expedition 33 sold over a million copies and became the highest-rated game ever on Metacritic. Its success is seen as a major win for AA developers, who often lack the resources of AAA studios but more than make up for it with creativity and independence.

Perhaps more importantly, Expedition 33 has sent a powerful message to the gaming industry: big budgets, battle passes, and endless remakes aren't the only route to success. In an era where AAA games are creeping toward $80 price tags and bloated development pipelines, Broche’s story resonates with both gamers and aspiring developers alike.

Whether major studios will learn from this breakout success or continue their cycle of safe bets and monetized content remains to be seen. But one thing is clear — Broche’s boredom may have been the best thing that ever happened to modern gaming.

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