The entire Expedition 33 team has been knighted by France

6 days ago 3

Published Feb 6, 2026, 11:13 AM EST

Clair Obscur creators Sandfall Interactive received a rare award in February

The game developers at Sandfall Interactive have spent the last year basically being cultural ambassadors for France in the world of gaming, so it's only fitting that they get recognized for it. On Friday, the people behind the hit RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 announced that the team had received honors from France's Ministry of Culture. And yes, someone did wear a red beret and striped black shirt for the occasion.

Sandfall announced the award on LinkedIn, where the developer shared a picture of the team wearing medallions that distinguish them as members of the Ordre de Saint-Michel (Order of Saint Michael). There are three grades of membership: Commander, Officer, and Knight. Sandfall Interactive was recognized as Knights of the Order, which comes with an eight-pointed silver medallion. To be considered for the honor, recipients must have "significantly contributed to the enrichment of the French cultural inheritance," and be at least 30 years old.

The team at Sandfall Interactive posing while wearing Knight medallions awarded by France's ministry of culture.

200 people a year are knighted by France, which means that Sandfall Interactive — a team of around 30 people — took around 15 percent of the available medallions.

Here's Sandfall:

From Expeditioners to Knights! We were received yesterday at the Ministry of Culture to celebrate our game, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. As such, the members of Sandfall Interactive were awarded the Order of Arts and Letters. This distinction honors us, and our deepest thanks go especially to our team who shaped this world and to the millions of players who have brought it to life. We hope that our journey will inspire all those who wish to take the plunge and create their own work.

Technically, Officers and Commanders are the more distinguished ranks of the Order: only 60 people a year become Officers, and 20 become Commanders. However, Knights can move up in rank after five years should they continue contributing meaningfully to French culture. We know that Sandfall has begun working on a new game set in the universe of Clair Obscur, so there's a chance that the creatives could earmark every available Commander medallion in 2031. You know, because winning every available GOTY award isn't enough.

I have to say, getting knighted is better than getting Gommaged once you're around 30 years old.

Read Entire Article