The highly-acclaimed Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 simply added yet one more accolade to its title — because it’s now the most important new third-party recreation launch on Xbox Game Pass in 2025.
Microsoft announced the information as we speak after inspecting knowledge from on daily basis one Xbox Game Pass launch this yr, and rating each third-party recreation by the variety of distinctive customers throughout its first 30 days of availability.
It’s a vastly spectacular achievement for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the debut recreation from French studio Sandfall Interactive, for a number of totally 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 Game Pass). And secondly, as a result of we already know that Clair Obscur went on to promote very properly too (5 million copies in 5 months) — one thing its launch by way of Game Pass doesn’t seem to have dented.
“From being there to announce our recreation 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 a variety of gamers,” Sandfall artistic director Guillaume Broche mentioned in a press release.
Xbox Game Pass let “lots of people attempt our recreation when perhaps they won’t have earlier than,” Broche continued. “The turn-based RPG style has a variety of followers however typically it would put individuals who favor extra real-time motion video games off, however Game Pass lowered that barrier of entry. They may simply attempt it and see the way it feels. So a variety of curious gamers may begin the sport, discover Lumière and the early recreation, and understand there’s rather a lot to take pleasure in right here, even when they weren’t anticipating it at first.”
So, what was Clair Obscur’s Xbox Game Pass competitors? It’s been an extended yr, so it is price reminding ourselves of every little thing the turn-based RPG has crushed to grow to be this yr’s largest third-party Xbox Game Pass launch. (And bear 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 akin 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 recreation 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 might be listening to a couple of extra instances this month, contemplating its record-breaking variety of nominations at The Game Awards. Tempted to offer it a attempt? It’s nonetheless on Xbox Game Pass, and we’ve an array of suggestions for the vital 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