In 2020, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Guillaume Broche found himself in much the same situation as millions across the globe.
Tired of their work and eager to try something new.
While working at the renowned French gaming company Ubisoft, he conceived an original idea—a role-playing game influenced by one of his favorite childhood series, the iconic Japanese franchise Final Fantasy.
That would turn into Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which, five years later, has turned into a phenomenon.
It reached one million sales within only three days, claimed the top spot on Spotify’s viral charts with its soundtrack, and also received acclaim from various sources. French President Emmanuel Macron .
However, one of the standout aspects of this is the story behind its creation—a narrative marked by serendipitous Reddit exchanges, “huge fortune,” and a distinct methodology in game production.
Mission 33 takes place in Lumiere, an imaginary realm dominated by a massive obelisk with a luminous number displayed prominently on its surface.
Every year, an entity referred to as The Paintress appears and reduces the count by one, leading all individuals of that particular age to disappear without a trace. This narrative revolves around a team embarked on a journey with the objective to annihilate this enigmatic figure.
This presents an enticing premise for a grand story; however, the game distinguishes itself through its visuals, which draw inspiration from 19th-century France, along with its traditional turn-based combat system.
However, the prevailing belief when Guillaume started out was that players weren't interested in anything of this sort.
Five years back, he began recruiting individuals for his passionate endeavor, sending out appeals on Reddit and various online forums to prospective collaborators.
One of those who replied was Jennifer Svedberg-Yen, who was in lockdown in Australia at the time.
She mentions seeing a post on Reddit from Guillaume who was looking for volunteer voice actors to record some content at no cost for a demonstration.
I responded with: 'I’ve never tried that before; it seems pretty neat,' so I submitted my auditions.
Jennifer was initially slated for a prominent role in the game’s earliest stages, but she later transitioned into the position of lead writer for the team.
Eventually, Guillaume departed from Ubisoft and established Sandfall Interactive with the aim of focusing entirely on Clair Obscur at their headquarters in Montpellier, France.
Following the acquisition of funds from publisher Kepler Interactive, the main team expanded to around 30 individuals.
A number of them were discovered through a comparable, uncommon method to how Jennifer was located.
Composer Lorien Testard -- who had no prior experience working on video games -- was found through her postings on the music-sharing platform Soundcloud.
Jennifer refers to this phenomenon as the Guillaume effect. She explains that he excels at discovering truly impressive individuals.
Guillaume humbly credits his success rate to people seeking a creative outlet during the pandemic as well as "sheer luck."
He remarks, 'It's always the same old tale.'
I've got a list of 15 individuals to reach out to, and I’m thinking: ‘Alright, I might not hear back from anyone.’
“And each time, the initial response goes, ‘Sure, let’s go for it.’”
However, Guillaume acknowledges that he focused on individuals who appeared to align with the direction he wished to steer the project towards.
"When Lorien and I initially talked about the game, we shared identical influences," he remarks.
They adored the same interests. They followed similar shows. The conversation flowed effortlessly.
Expedition 33 has also been widely praised for its production values - rivalling those of games worked on by hundreds, even thousands of staff.
Guillaume credits part of this success to the recent advancements in game-making tools, enabling the team to be more efficient in their workflow.
With Kepler’s support, the studio managed to draw in talents such as Charlie Cox from "Daredevil," renowned actor Andy Serkis known for his role in "The Lord of the Rings," along with video game performers Jennifer English and Ben Starr.
Although Sandfall sought additional contributions from support studios, musicians, and various experts, Jennifer and Guillaume mention that the core team ultimately found themselves "taking on multiple roles."
"Everyone contributes to various tasks, often stepping out of their usual roles," explains Jennifer, who was additionally responsible for translating the game into multiple languages.
"I believe we have an extraordinary team primarily consisting of junior members who are deeply committed to the project and remarkably skilled," states Guillaume.
For some reason, it actually worked, even though it still doesn’t make sense to me after all these years.
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