Expedition 33's Indie GOTY Award

An attic in Blue Prince with sunlight coming through a circular window.

Vaspaan Dastoor is the editor of TheGamer. Previously worked at IGN India and keep trying to get people to make time for a LOTR marathon. He can be found giving hot answers for cold answers on @DastoorVaspaan

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has won every award this year, including the big one at the Indie Game Of The Year Awards. However, it was stripped of the award just hours after the ceremony due to the alleged use of AI in its development, and fans were expected to be disappointed. The GOTY title eventually went to Blue Prince.

The backlash was pretty strong, as you'd expect, but The Indie Game Awards said it has a “hard stance on the use of gen AI throughout the nomination process and during the ceremony itself.” After all this went down last night, Blue Prince publisher Raw Fury released a statement to clarify that no AI was used during the development of the game.

Blue Prince reiterates that no AI was used during development

The campsite and the tent with white trees behind it in blue prince.

“For people who need confirmation: There is no AI used in Blue Prince,” Raw Fury's said. “The game was built and created with full human instinct by Tonda Ros [Dogubomb] & his team. It is the result of eight years of development, driven by imagination and creativity, and we are extremely proud of what Tonda has achieved.”

The Indie Game Awards explained in an FAQ how Clair Obscur was nominated in the first place and why the award was later withdrawn. “When presented for consideration, a Sandfall Interactive representative agreed that no gen AI was used in the development of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

The protagonist of Blue Prince puts on a crown with a red countdown timer behind it that says 00:00:00.

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Somehow Blue Prince makes for the most exciting speed run I've ever seen

I can't believe this is even possible.

“In light of Sandfall Interactive confirming the use of gen AI art in production on the opening day of the Indie Game Awards 2025, this disqualifies Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from its nomination. Although the assets in question were patched and it is a wonderful game, it is against the rules we have in place. As a result, the IGA has the approval of both the Official Game Committee and the Game Committee. awards.”