Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 became a hit thanks to subscriptions, analyst believes

Sandfall Interactive studio reported that the project sold over 8 million copies in its first year. For a new studio and an original RPG, this is a remarkable result, especially in a genre that rarely goes mainstream without major brands.

Circana analyst Mat Piscatella stated:

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one of the best examples of a game whose sales likely grew due to its inclusion in a subscription service.

According to him, the game's presence in a subscription could have lowered the barrier to entry and expanded the audience, ultimately leading to increased recognition and sales. Initially, it was assumed that subscriptions might "cannibalize" sales, but in this case, the effect was the opposite.

It is noted that similar results were previously shown by Sea of Thieves and Sea of Stars, which also sold successfully despite being available on Game Pass.

At the same time, there is no guarantee that the model always works. For example, Baldur's Gate 3 director Sven Vincke previously stated that the studio would not release its games on subscriptions, believing that "a direct path from developer to player is the best option."