The publisher behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 believes massive budgets and huge development teams can work — but only for a few, like Rockstar’s GTA 6. For most studios, that model comes with serious risks.
In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, François Meurisse, COO of Sandfall Interactive, said the studio wants to avoid the common industry trap of scaling up too fast. Instead, Sandfall plans to keep its core team together to preserve the chemistry that made Clair Obscur a breakout success.
“We want to keep the organization that made us successful,” Meurisse said.
Publisher Kepler also backs this approach. Portfolio director Matthew Handrahan added that studios should grow only when necessary, using outsourcing as a smarter and more sustainable alternative to massive hiring.
“Some games can make [huge budgets] work. GTA 6 is going to make it work, I think we can all say with great confidence,” Handrahan said. “But there are plenty of games made with very large teams and for huge amounts of money that don’t land — and there is a human cost to running things that way.”
The success of Clair Obscur, which was made by just 32 people and strategic outsourcing, shows there’s another path forward. While AAA games dominate headlines, industry veterans like former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden have also called for a return to mid-budget, creatively driven AA games.
As studios continue to face layoffs and financial pressure, the message from Sandfall and Kepler is clear: bigger isn’t always better — and sustainability matters more than scale.
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