Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 publisher downplays impact of Oblivion Remastered release date

The timing of the Oblivion Remastered release date was ominous for the lesser-known Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. After months of rumors, Bethesda shadow-dropped its action RPG on April 22nd. Sandfall Interactive's Expedition 33 debuted a few days later, prompting concerns. As it turns out, both games have attracted impressive sales and high player counts. That comes as no surprise to Kepler Interactive, the publisher of the French RPG.

Senior Portfolio Manager, Matthew Handrahan, spoke with The Game Business about how Expedition 33 targets different gamers. He explained, "When I was in the press, I saw the Western-style RPG and the Japanese-style RPG as having quite different appeals and audiences." Even as a French-developed game, Expedition 33 resembles a JRPG with a set narrative and mostly turn-based combat. Meanwhile, Oblivion Remastered has the open-world feel and real-time battles of Western alternatives.

The Expedition 33 publisher points to other reasons why the title gained more than sufficient attention. From an early stage, Microsoft helped to promote the game at major events. Its inclusion as a day-one Xbox One Game Pass game gave subscribers a low-risk way to experience Expedition 33. However, with gaming becoming a more expensive hobby, Steam's $49.99 asking price was appealing. As players confront the Paintress, reviews conclude that the visuals and voice acting measure up to any AAA competitor.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been a success from any metric. Despite its Game Pass availability, the game has sold over a million copies. Expedition 33 is also posting similar 24-hour peak Steam player counts as Oblivion Remastered. The results may prove that the RPG genre is diverse enough to allow games released days apart to thrive.