The Game Awards 2025: Expedition 33 devs have the most wholesome reaction to record nominations

Nominations for The Game Awards 2025 have been revealed with indie title Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 up for a record 12 awards - and developers had the most wholesome reaction to the news on social media.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an active turn-based role-playing game developed by studio Sandfall Interactive and published by Kepler Interactive.

Players lead members of Expedition 33 on their quest to destroy the Paintress so that she can never paint death again; she counts down a number every year where everyone under that age perishes and Expedition 33 is that latest team to try and stop her.

When it released in April, the game was highly praised by critics and fans alike with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 now being nominated for 12 awards at The Game Awards, including the coveted Game of the Year gong, making it the most nominated game in history.

And developers had a fantastic, wholesome reaction to the news.

Posting on X / Twitter, the official Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 account said: "What a privilege to be nominated, not only for 2025 GAME OF THE YEAR, but also TWELVE??!! TOTAL NOMINATIONS.

"There are so many deserving, precious games from this year and to be nominated among them makes us SO SO very whee 🥹 THANK YOU!!"

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has three nominations for best performance and it's also up for the best narrative prize too.

Check out the full list of all The Game Awards 2025 nominations below.

The Game Awards 2025 - full list of nominations and categories

Game of the Year

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Donkey Kong Bananza
• Hades 2
• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Best Action Game

• Battlefield 6
• Doom: The Dark Ages
• Hades 2
• Ninja Gaiden 4
• Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

Best Action Adventure Game

• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Ghost of Yotei
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Split Fiction

Best Adaptation

• A Minecraft Movie
• Devil May Cry
• The Last of Us: Season 2
• Splinter Cell: Deathwatch
• Until Dawn

Best Art Direction

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Ghost of Yotei
• Hades 2
• Hollow Knight: Silksong

Best Audio Design

• Battlefield 6
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Ghost of Yotei
• Silent Hill f

Best Community Support

• Baldur's Gate 3
• Final Fantasy 14
• Fortnite
• Helldivers 2
• No Man's Sky

Best Debut Indie Game

• Blue Prince
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Despelote
• Dispatch
• Megabonk

Best Esports Athlete

• brawk
• Chovy
• f0rsakeN
• Kakeru
• MenaRD
• Zyw0o

Best Esports Game

• Counter-Strike 2
• DOTA 2
• League of Legends
• Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
• Valorant

Best Esports Team

• Gen.G - League of Legends
• NRG - Valorant
• Team Falcons - DOTA 2
• Team Liquid PH - Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
• Team Vitality - Counter-Strike 2

Best Family Game

• Donkey Kong Bananza
• LEGO Party!
• LEGO Voyagers
• Mario Kart World
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds

Best Fighting Game

• 2XKO
• Capcom Fighting Collection 2
• Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
• Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection
• Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage

Best Game Direction

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Ghost of Yotei
• Hades 2
• Split Fiction

Best Independent Game

• Absolum
• Ball x Pit
• Blue Prince
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Hades 2
• Hollow Knight: Silksong

Best Mobile Game

• Destiny: Rising
• Persona 5: The Phantom X
• Sonic Rumble
• Umamusume: Pretty Derby
• Wuthering Waves

Best Multiplayer

• Arc Raiders
• Battlefield 6
• Elden Ring Nightreign
• Peak
• Split Fiction

Best Narrative

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Ghost of Yotei
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
• Silent Hill f

Best Ongoing Game

• Final Fantasy 14
• Fortnite
• Helldivers 2
• Marvel Rivals
• No Man's Sky

Best Performance

• Ben Starr - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Charlie Cox - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Erika Ishii - Ghost of Yotei
• Jennifer English - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Konatsu Kato - Silent Hill f
• Troy Baker - Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Best Role-Playing Game

• Avowed
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
• The Outer Worlds 2
• Monster Hunter Wilds

Best Score & Music

• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Hades 2
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Ghost of Yotei
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Best Sim / Strategy Game

• The Alters
• Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles
• Jurassic World Evolution 3
• Sid Meier's Civilization 7
• Tempest Rising
• Two Point Museum

Best Sports / Racing Game

• EA Sports FC 26
• EA Sports F1 25
• Mario Kart World
• Rematch
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds

Content Creator of the Year

• Caedrel
• Kai Cenat
• MoistCr1TiKal
• Sakura Miko
• The Burnt Peanut

Innovation in Accessibility

• Assassin's Creed Shadows
• Atomfall
• Doom: The Dark Ages
• EA Sports FC 26
• South of Midnight

Most Anticipated Game

• 007 First Light
• Grand Theft Auto 6
• Marvel's Wolverine
• Resident Evil Requiem
• The Witcher 4

Elsewhere from indy100:

• What is 2025 Game of the Year? Critics and gamers completely disagree
• Gamers unanimously back Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 devs comments about game prices

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