French RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 stole the spotlight at this year’s Game Awards, winning Game of the Year and taking home nine awards out of ten nominations. The game earned top honors for best narrative, best music, and best performance, defeating strong competition including Death Stranding 2, Donkey Kong Bananza, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hades 2, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
Players praised its emotional story, turn-based battles, and the passion behind developer Sandfall Interactive, formed by former Ubisoft employees pursuing their dream project.
Director Guillaume Broche accepted the award wearing a red beret and striped shirt, celebrating the French identity of the game while thanking his team and “unsung heroes” like YouTube tutorial creators. Actress Jennifer English won best performance for her role as Maelle and dedicated it to neurodivergent viewers. Composer Lorien Testard earned the best score and music for his debut project.
Other awards went to Battlefield 6 (best audio design), Wuthering Waves (Player’s Voice), Donkey Kong Bananza (family game), and Arc Raiders (multiplayer). Hollow Knight: Silksong won best action-adventure, and Umamusume: Pretty Derby was named best mobile game. Girls Make Games received the honorary Game Changer award for inspiring young women in gaming.
The ceremony also featured new game reveals, including two new Tomb Raider titles, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Galactic Racer, Divinity from Larian Studios, Resident Evil 9, and Saros for PS5. Celebrity appearances included David Harbour and Lenny Kravitz.
While praised for improvements this year, the Game Awards continues to face criticism over past short speeches, ad-heavy segments, and the cancellation of its Future Class initiative, which spotlighted rising talent in the industry.
