Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead says the hit French JRPG is just “one of the stories that we want to tell in this franchise,” but thinks “the only way” to succeed “is to ignore the first game completely”

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s creative director has doubled down on the idea that there’s more to come from the RPG series, with Expedition 33 itself just “one of the stories that we want to tell in this franchise.”

Speaking in a recent interview with YouTube creator MrMattyPlays (below), creative director Guillaume Broche is asked for his thoughts on the future of Clair Obscur as a franchise, and if you fell in love with Sandfall Interactive’s debut RPG, then there’s good news for you.

“Clair Obscur is a franchise name. Expedition 33 is one of the stories that we want to tell in this franchise,” Broche explains. “Exactly what it will look like and what the concept will be is still too soon to announce, but what is sure is that this is not the end of the Clair Obscur franchise.”

Earlier in the interview, Broche also admits that he’s been trying not to let himself be influenced too much by Expedition 33 or its success when it comes to moving on to new things. “I don’t think it’s a good emotion to have, to try to live up to what you did before,” he says. “Because for me, the only way to successfully succeed is to ignore the first game completely.

He explains: “Even today, when I try to write sequels and think about ideas and everything, subconsciously I always compare it to Expedition 33. ‘Oh but this, I’ve already done that, or this looks too much like this, or maybe… people who like Expedition 33 won’t like this part of the game.’ And every time, [it’s] like ‘no, stop thinking like this please.'”

Broche continues: “I think that what worked with Expedition 33 was that it was made with no compromise. It was just a singular vision, and it was very true and very authentic, and there was no thinking of these kinds of things. So I think we are all trying to find this back, to manage to ignore Expedition 33. It’s tough.”

He concludes that “we have to find this place of sincerity and authenticity again, and just do what we love, ignoring what made Expedition 33 successful in a way. […] Expedition 33 is such a fusion of everything I love in games, in storytelling, in art and everything, that it’s tough to start from scratch again and to find a new place of joy and sincerity.”

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s possible endings aren’t particularly cheery because the French JRPG’s creative lead likes “really sad stories” and wanted to give players “an impossible choice.”