Sandfall Interactive certainly hit a creative home run with their RPG hit, *Clair Obscur: Expedition 33*. The game didn’t just garner a massive fanbase, it swept major accolades, including GameSpot’s coveted Game of the Year award, and even managed to make history at The Game Awards. With that kind of extraordinary success on their debut title, the pressure and expectations surrounding Sandfall’s next project are immense. However, the studio is signaling early that they have no intention of bowing to popular demand or trying to appeal to the widest possible audience.
Instead of attempting to replicate past success or chase mainstream trends, the development team is committed to chasing “what we think is cool,” according to lead writer Jennifer Svedberg-Yen. Speaking with *Edge* magazine, Svedberg-Yen acknowledged the constant internal pressure, admitting that the team is acutely aware that their new fans hold “certain expectations and certain feelings toward the game,” but believes dwelling on that noise could be creatively detrimental.
For Sandfall, creative integrity remains the absolute priority. The studio’s guiding principle, or “North Star,” has always been their own personal taste and what they genuinely want to see. Svedberg-Yen noted that she has observed too many creative works, from TV shows to books, “be swayed trying to please a lot of people,” which inevitably results in “losing the heart of what’s there.” Ultimately, the developer insists that maintaining their original vision and continuing to trust their artistic instincts is the only path forward.