Philippines—The second annual Indie Game Awards, held on Thursday, December 18 at 6:30pm ET/3:30pm PT, has made headlines after stripping Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and its developer Sandfall Interactive of its Game of the Year and Debut Game wins—all over the use of generative AI that violated the awards’ rules. The honors will now go to the respective runner-ups: Blue Prince for Game of the Year and Sorry We’re Closed for Debut Game.
The ceremony, which aired on the official Six One Indie channel, handed out 21 awards across categories including Community Management, Bite-sized Game, Innovation, and Gameplay Design. Initially, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was named both Game of the Year and Debut Game—an impressive double win that quickly unraveled when Sandfall Interactive confirmed it had used gen AI in the game’s development on the day of the premiere.
“The Indie Game Awards have a hard stance on the use of gen AI throughout the nomination process and during the ceremony itself,” organizers stated. When the game was submitted for consideration, Sandfall representatives had agreed no gen AI was used in its creation. This confirmation of non-compliance led to the game’s immediate disqualification from its nominations.
Prior to the disqualification, Clair Obscur had topped a competitive Game of the Year field that included titles like Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hades II, and Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector. With its removal, Blue Prince—developed by Dogubomb—was named the new Game of the Year.
Other notable winners from the ceremony included:
- Achievement in Accessibility: Peak (Team PEAK)
- ANZ Indie Game Award: The Drifter (Powerhoof)
The full list of nominees and winners is available on the Six One Indie channel, where viewers can also watch the full show or individual award segments. Organizers have invited fans to share their thoughts on the disqualification and new winners in the comments section or on the official Insider Gaming Discord server.
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