The highly-acclaimed Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 simply added one more accolade to its identify — because it’s now the most important new third-party sport launch on Xbox Sport Cross in 2025.
Microsoft introduced the information right this moment after analyzing knowledge from on daily basis one Xbox Sport Cross launch this yr, and rating each third-party sport by the variety of distinctive customers throughout its first 30 days of availability.
It is a vastly spectacular achievement for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the debut sport from French studio Sandfall Interactive, for a number of completely different causes. Firstly, as a result of the sport arrived simply two days after Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered (which itself additionally launched by way of Sport Cross). And secondly, as a result of we already know that Clair Obscur went on to promote very effectively too (5 million copies in 5 months) — one thing its launch by way of Sport Cross doesn’t seem to have dented.
“From being there to announce our sport again in Summer time 2024, to coming to the studio for the Developer_Direct video in January, Xbox helped us get the phrase on the market and attain numerous gamers,” Sandfall inventive director Guillaume Broche stated in an announcement.
Xbox Sport Cross let “lots of people attempt our sport when possibly they won’t have earlier than,” Broche continued. “The turn-based RPG style has numerous followers however typically it’d put individuals who want extra real-time motion video games off, however Sport Cross lowered that barrier of entry. They may simply attempt it and see the way it feels. So numerous curious gamers might begin the sport, discover Lumière and the early sport, and understand there’s quite a bit to get pleasure from right here, even when they weren’t anticipating it at first.”
So, what was Clair Obscur’s Xbox Sport Cross competitors? It has been a protracted yr, so it is value reminding ourselves of all the things the turn-based RPG has overwhelmed to turn into this yr’s largest third-party Xbox Sport Cross launch. (And keep in mind, that is separate to Microsoft’s personal first-party output, which is able to embrace Avowed and South by Midnight, in addition to Bethesda video games similar to The Outer Worlds 2, and Activision fare like Name of Obligation: Black Ops 7.)
Different third-party video games that arrived day one by way of Microsoft’s subscription service notably included the highly-anticipated Hole Knight: Silksong, in addition to the post-apocalyptic survival sport Atomfall. The highly-acclaimed indie puzzle favourite Blue Prince additionally arrived this yr, as did Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, Ball X Pit, and PowerWash Simulator 2.
Congratulations, then, to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — one thing we could be listening to a number of extra occasions this month, contemplating its record-breaking variety of nominations at The Sport Awards. Tempted to offer it a attempt? It is nonetheless on Xbox Sport Cross, and we now have an array of ideas for the essential issues to know earlier than going into Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s Information Editor. You’ll be able to attain Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or discover him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
