According to Eurogamer.net, French President Emmanuel Macron publicly congratulated Sandfall Interactive on Instagram after its game, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, won a historic nine awards at The Game Awards earlier this week. The Montpellier-based studio’s RPG secured the coveted Game of the Year title, a first for a French game, along with wins for best narrative, score, art direction, game direction, RPG, independent game, debut indie game, and a best performance award for actor Jennifer English. This public praise follows Macron’s previous congratulations back in May, where he called the game a “shining example of French audacity and creativity.” The President’s latest statement called the win a “historic first” and a source of “great pride for Montpellier and for France.”
Macron’s Gaming Flip-Flop
Here’s the thing: Macron’s effusive praise now rings a bit hollow for some. And commenters were quick to remind him of that. During the 2023 riots, he famously suggested video games had “poisoned” the minds of young people. He did walk it back, clarifying he was condemning how “video game codes” were used to trivialize violence online, not the medium itself. He even gave a pretty decent defense of games as culture and art! But the damage was done. That original soundbite is sticky. So this feels less like a lifelong gamer’s passion and more like a political leader spotting a clear-cut, export-friendly win. It’s soft power 101. When a French studio dominates a global stage, of course you celebrate it. The question is, does this represent a genuine, lasting shift in understanding from the Élysée Palace, or is it just convenient patriotism?
The Weight of a Historic Win
Look, winning Game of the Year at TGAs is a massive deal for any studio. For a French indie to pull it off? That’s monumental. It shatters the notion that only massive American or Japanese publishers can claim that top spot. The sheer sweep—nine awards—is almost absurd. It speaks to a game that’s firing on all cylinders: art, music, narrative, design. This kind of validation can change everything for a developer. Funding for the next project gets easier. Recruitment gets easier. Global visibility skyrockets overnight. For the French and broader European tech scene, it’s a beacon. It proves that world-class, system-selling creative work can come from outside the traditional hubs. That’s genuinely exciting.
Beyond the Hype Cycle
But let’s pump the brakes for a second. Presidential endorsements are a double-edged sword. They bring a glare of attention that the games industry isn’t always comfortable with. Suddenly, your artistic project is a tool of national policy. What happens if the next big French game is a controversial, gritty, or politically charged title? Will it receive the same glowing Instagram post? Probably not. And for Sandfall Interactive, the pressure is now immense. Expedition 33 has been vaulted into the stratosphere. The expectations for their next move will be crushing. Can they follow this act? History is littered with studios that had a stunning debut and then struggled under the weight of their own success. I hope they can ride this wave. Basically, the hard work starts now. The awards are on the shelf, but the real test is what they build next.
