Good games don’t always need to be huge. Sometimes, the way big-budget games are planned and funded can actually stop them from being truly special. It’s like trying to make something bigger instead of better.
Guillaume Broche, the creative director behind Sandfall’s upcoming RPG, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, shared some interesting thoughts recently. He spoke with Automation about how much money and how big a game should be. Broche said his team didn’t want endless funds. They also didn’t want to add useless stuff or make the game’s world too big for no reason. By keeping their project focused, they knew how to make it fun. They didn’t have to force anything extra into it.
Broche calls this idea “respecting player’s time.” He believes developers shouldn’t make games longer just to make them longer. They also shouldn’t add things that aren’t truly needed. Sometimes, having a smaller budget can be a good thing. It makes developers zero in on the main parts of the game. This helps make the core experience sharper and more complete. Games with unlimited money can sometimes feel less engaging.
Still, Broche admits it’s not always easy to know when enough is enough. Plenty of data backs up this idea, though. GamesRadar+ noted that Shuhei Yoshida, who used to run PlayStation, praised Expedition 33. He saw it as a perfect blend of big game ambition with a mid-tier budget. It also kept an independent creative vision.
Jon Bellamy, the new CEO for the team behind Runescape, made a similar point recently. He said that you can get very similar results with just a tenth of the budget of a $400 million AAA title. Expedition 33 stands as a clear example of this smart approach to game making.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is available for players on PC and game consoles.