‘There is a bit of pressure’: Developers of the biggest third-party game launched for Xbox Game Pass in 2025 on next title

The studio behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Sandfall Interactive, has acknowledged that it is feeling some pressure for its next project. However, the developers of the game, which was the biggest third-party launch on Xbox Game Pass in 2025, noted that they will prioritise their creative vision over fan expectations. Sandfall Interactive's debut Japanese Role-Playing Game (JRPG) became 2025's surprise hit, sweeping awards shows and building a large fan base, making it the biggest new third-party launch on Xbox Game Pass in 2025 based on unique users in its first 30 days.Speaking in an interview with Edge magazine for issue 419, Sandfall Interactive chief operating officer and production director François Meurisse acknowledged the pressure surrounding the team's next game, explaining that "I feel there is a bit of pressure" from fans and critics, but added "it's not so important to us.""We'll have time to get really focused into the next game. We have some great ideas we're so excited to explore, and we don't start from the same point. The team already has five more years of experience. So maybe we can do some great stuff." he explained.The comments suggest Sandfall Interactive plans to maintain its creative independence despite the commercial and critical success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The studio's approach indicates they will continue to be guided by "what we think is cool" rather than meeting external expectations, even as they build on the experience gained from their debut release.Jennifer Svedberg-Yen, Sandfall’s lead writer, said that she also feels the same way. She admitted that she's "a bit of a people pleaser, so it's always in the back of my mind that we have a lot of fans now, and they have certain expectations and certain feelings towards the game." Even though she'd "be lying if I said that I didn't think about that at all," she added.“Creatively, we've always let our North Star be our own personal taste in terms of what we think is cool, what it is we enjoy and want to see. I've seen too many TV shows and books be swayed trying to please a lot of people, and in the process you end up losing the heart of what's there. So [we] feel like we need to trust our instincts and continue to trust the vision behind the studio,” Svedberg-Yen explained.This approach clearly worked for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. After winning many awards at the Golden Joystick Awards 2025 and The Game Awards, creative director Guillaume Broche said that before the game came out, the team all thought that "it's not going to be big, it's going to be cool," saying "it's a weird feeling, when you put your heart out into the world and the world embraces it and gives you so much love back."Now, more people are watching the studio and its work, but hopefully, the developers can keep the quality that made Clair Obscur stand out.