An employee works on 'Clair Obscur' at the headquarters of Sandfall Interactive in Montpellier, France. The success by a team of 30-odd developers stands out all the more in an industry dominated by the model of seeking blockbusters that can cost tens of millions of dollars to produce. — AFP
PARIS: With sales of more than one million copies in three days after its release, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has taken even its creators by surprise in the cut-throat video game market.
The role-playing game set in a post-apocalyptic era, which has garnered rave reviews, is the first from Sandfall Interactive, a small team based in the southern French city of Montpellier.
"The game has exploded way beyond our forecasts," co-founder Guillaume Broche told AFP on April 29.
Clair Obscur is the best-rated game on review aggregator Metacritic this year at 92 out of 100, in particular for its storyline and graphics.
"It's a masterpiece," wrote one player on the online platform Steam, with another "totally blown away" by a title whose film adaptation is already planned.
"We are a bit overwhelmed but it's really fabulous," said Broche, with the game, published by London-based Kepler Interactive, already sold out at several French retailers.
The success by his team of 30-odd developers stands out all the more in an industry dominated by the model of seeking blockbusters that can cost tens of millions of dollars to produce.
Sandfall's larger French rival Ubisoft, for example, saw its financial woes mount in recent years after a string of disappointing releases.
"What we know now is that the triple-A model is becoming increasingly unsustainable," said Marc Richter, a gaming analyst at Ipsos.
"Small passionate teams with cutting-edge game development technology can do massive things," he added. – AFP
