Macron Praises Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
French game studio Sandfall Interactive’s new RPG, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, has achieved great success both in terms of sales figures and critics’ comments. The game’s 1 million sales mark, which it reached just three days after its release, did not go unnoticed by French President Emmanuel Macron. Macron described the game as a symbol of the country’s creativity and courage in a post he shared on social media.
Macron Described Expedition 33 Success as “French Courage”
Emmanuel Macron, who responded to Sandfall Interactive on Instagram, emphasized that the game reached 1 million sales in its first three days and used the phrase, “One of the highest-rated games in history, and yes, this game is French!” Macron said, “Congratulations to Sandfall Interactive and all the creators of Expedition 33. You are a shining example of French courage and creativity.”
The studio’s response was humorous: it was answered with just a baguette emoji. The original post also noted that the game had many references to France. The game, set in a surreal world, features details such as fighting French memes, striped clothing, a tilted Eiffel Tower and plenty of French swearing.
Despite the game coming out the same week that Bethesda surprisingly re-released Oblivion, it did not have a negative impact on sales. “The fact that we came out the same week as Oblivion did not affect sales, on the contrary, it increased interest in the RPG genre,” said Matt Handrahan, senior manager at publisher Kepler, adding that this situation did not overshadow the game’s success.
Macron’s praise is also being interpreted as a turnaround to his previous criticisms. Macron, who criticized video game culture after the street events in the summer of 2023, later said in a statement that his words were misunderstood. He reiterated his support for the industry on social media by saying, “I have always believed that video games are an opportunity for France.” Now, with the success of Clair Obscur, a more concrete expression of this support has emerged.
