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In case you weren’t aware, this year saw the arrival of what is now one of most nominated titles ever seen at the Game Awards – Sandfall Interactive’s ‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’. It won over hearts and minds across the world, and according to Xbox was 2025’s ‘Biggest New Third-Party Game Launch on Xbox Game Pass‘.
In a blog post on Xbox Wire, the Xbox team shared that “Sandfall Interactive’s phenomenal debut RPG is one of the most buzzed-about releases of the year, so it should surprise no one when we announce that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the biggest new third-party game launch on Xbox Game Pass of 2025. That’s based on the number of unique users in the first 30 days of its availability, which means a huge number of Xbox players joined Maelle, Gustave, Esquie, and the gang on their journey right from the beginning.“
The Creative Director at Sandfall Interactive shared how grateful he is to the fans out there for the outpouring of support and love for the game, saying ““This year has been so far beyond what any of us could have imagined, and it’s down to how passionate and supportive our fans have been to make that a reality. It’s really nerve-wracking to be a new studio releasing our first game, but the support of everyone has really made everything feel like a dream.”
Indeed, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has proven extremely popular, with fans and critics alike. At this years Game Awards, the game has received 12 nominations – the most ever for a single title in the show’s existence, which is pretty impressive.
It also arrived in what has been an absolutely stellar year for Microsoft’s subscription service – and that’s despite the price increase seen earlier this year. Xbox gamers have enjoyed releases like Avowed, Doom The Dark Ages, South Midnight, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Black Ops 7, Blue Price, Ball X Pit, Grounded 2, Oblivion Remastered, Towerborne, Marvel Cosmic Invasion, The Outer Worlds 2….I could go on.
Roll on 2026!
Are you surprised to see Expedition 33 crowned as the biggest 3rd party Game Pass launch of 2025? Let us know in the XboxEra Forums or make some noise in the lively XboxEra Community Discord Server. If you’re looking to be a bigger part of an amazing community, then either choice is a good one!
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