Yes, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 did use AI, but only in a limited, behind- the-scenes way, and that is exactly what caused the controversy and the loss of its awards.

What actually happened

  • Sandfall Interactive used generative AI during development to create some placeholder textures and assets, with the stated intention that these would later be replaced by fully human-made art.
  • Some of those AI-generated placeholders accidentally ended up in the launch build and were spotted by players shortly after release.
  • Within a few days, the studio patched the game and replaced those textures with the intended human-made assets, saying the AI art was never meant to ship in the final product.

Why this turned into a big deal

  • When the game was submitted to the Indie Game Awards, a studio representative had affirmed that no generative AI was used in development, which later turned out to be incorrect once the AI placeholders came to light.
  • After the discovery and public discussion, the Indie Game Awards enforced their strict “zero generative AI” policy and revoked Clair Obscur’s awards, including its Indie Game of the Year recognition.
  • This move sparked heated debates in forums and articles about whether using AI for temporary or “invisible” assets should really disqualify an otherwise highly praised game.

How the devs talk about their AI use

  • The game’s director and studio statements describe AI as a tool they briefly experimented with early on, found ethically or creatively uncomfortable, and decided to stop relying on for shipped content.
  • Their current stance emphasizes that all final , visible art in Clair Obscur is now human-made , and that the remaining controversy centers on those earlier AI placeholders and on their initial disclosure (or lack of it), not on the game’s present assets.

TL;DR:

  • Did Clair Obscur use AI? → Yes, for some placeholder textures during development.
  • Is there AI in the current shipped art? → The studio says no; those AI assets were patched out within days.
  • Why the uproar? → Because of undisclosed AI use plus a strict “no AI” award rule, which led to the game being stripped of its Indie Game Awards wins.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.