Expedition 33 Developer Wants To Keep Their Team Size Small and Streamlined, Just Like Their Games

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Clear and Concise: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has become this year’s standout game. According to our assessment, it’s a strong contender for the prestigious title of Game of the Year.

The development team at Sandfall Interactive’s newly established studio has garnered just as much acclaim as the game they’ve created.

There’s been a lot of discussion regarding the size of the development team for this game, with some noting that the team is approximately 30 members in number, while others have clarified that it was actually larger than initially thought.

The interview with Sandfall and Kepler Interactive reveals that approximately 30 individuals formed the main team responsible for the game’s development. According to Matthew Handrahan, portfolio director at Kepler Interactive, this group of 30 was the driving force behind the game, shaping its concept and execution. Handrahan also added that while the core team worked on Sandfall, they received assistance from external developers.

Sandfall Producer François Meurisse Wants To Keep The Dev Team Small And Focused

Discussing their compact team setup, Producer François Meurisse highlights the advantages of resisting the urge to expand following a period of success.

Currently, we aim to maintain a tightly-knit team located within the same urban area, comprising fewer than 50 members. This compact structure will enable us to tackle project after project with agility, creativity, and intelligence that only a small, driven group can muster, as they strive for something significant.

Meurisse additionally notes that classic, widely admired games such as Half-Life 2 and Ocarina of Time were developed using this approach. These projects had compact development teams that fostered creativity, setting them apart. However, it’s worth noting that larger-scale productions like Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption and potentially Grand Theft Auto 6 can also succeed, but they are exceptions rather than the rule.

Meurisse states, “I believe there have been many careless business strategies in the gaming sector. While some titles can succeed, there are numerous games developed by big teams and with significant budgets that ultimately flop.

The philosophy behind Expedition 33 seamlessly integrates with the game itself. They did a fantastic job acknowledging that not all games need more than 100 hours of playtime. Games like Sandfall and Kepler proposed that the main story would last around 30+ hours, with an additional 30+ hours from side content, but many players have exceeded 100+ hours. However, it wasn’t essential; they’re doing it because they’re enjoying themselves, which is the secret to Expedition 33’s success. Let’s hope Sandfall can leverage this momentum and avoid the traps of contemporary video game design.

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2025-05-28 18:42