Gli Indie Game Awards 2025 hanno emesso il loro verdetto e incoronato Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 come Game of the Year. Il titolo di Sandfall Interactive continua così a collezionare riconoscimenti, consolidando una striscia di successi che lo ha reso uno dei casi più discussi dell’anno. L’annuncio è arrivato al termine di un evento molto seguito dalla scena indipendente, che ha celebrato la creatività e la varietà del panorama indie contemporaneo. A guidare la serata sono stati nomi di spicco come Lena Raine, compositrice di Celeste, Chandana Ekanayake di Outerloop e il musicista Chipzel.
Il riconoscimento a Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 non è privo di polemiche. Pur essendo sviluppato da uno studio indipendente, il gioco è stato pubblicato da Tripwire e supportato da un budget superiore alla media indie, anche se decisamente contenuto rispetto ai tripla A. La sua vittoria ha quindi riacceso il dibattito su cosa significhi oggi “indie”, soprattutto quando un progetto riesce a competere — e vincere — contro produzioni molto attese come Hades 2, Hollow Knight: Silksong e Citizen Sleeper 2.
Oltre al GOTY, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ha conquistato anche il premio per il Miglior Debutto, rafforzando l’idea di un’opera capace di imporsi sia sul piano creativo sia su quello tecnico. Il resto della cerimonia ha premiato una scena estremamente diversificata: Peak si è distinto per accessibilità e gestione della community, Blue Prince ha vinto per l’innovazione, mentre Citizen Sleeper 2 ha ottenuto il premio per la miglior narrativa. Sul fronte artistico e musicale, i riconoscimenti sono andati a titoli come 30 Birds per il visual design e Rift of the NecroDancer per la colonna sonora.
Game of the Year:
- Absolum – Dotemu, Guard Crush Games, and Supamonks
- and Roger – TearyHand Studio
- Blue Prince – Dogubomb
- Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector – Jump Over the Age
- WINNER: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Sandfall Interactive
- Consume Me – Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, and Ken “coda” Snyder
- Hades 2 – Supergiant Games
- Hollow Knight: Silksong – Team Cherry
- Keep Driving – YCJY Games
- Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo – Pocket Trap
Achievement in Accessibility:
- Abiotic Factor – Deep Field Games
- Barista – YofiAsi
- Calm the Storm – Ludic Lemur
- WINNER: Peak – Team PEAK
- Spray Paint Simulator – North Star Video Games
- Squeakross: Home Squeak Home – Alblune
ANZ Indie Game Award:
- Abiotic Factor – Deep Field Games
- Hollow Knight: Silksong – Team Cherry
- Mars First Logistics – Shape Shop
- Proximate – Cain Maddox
- Tempopo – Witchbeam
- WINNER: The Drifter – Powerhoof
Bite-Sized Game:
- Carimara – Beneath the Forlorn Limbs – Bastinus Rex
- FlyKnight – Wabbaboy
- Many Nights a Whisper – Deconstructeam, Selkie Harbour
- The Dark Queen of Mortholme – Mosu
- this game will end in 205 clicks. – insertdisc5
- WINNER: Time Flies – Playables
Black Voice in Gaming:
- Advent Neon – CryoGX
- WINNER: Altheia: The Wrath of Aferi – MarsLit Games
- Sorry We’re Closed – à la mode games
- Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To – Soft Not Weak, LLC
- Sunken Stones – Spritewrench
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown – Strange Scaffold
Community Management:
- Consume Me – Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken “coda” Snyder
- Date Everything! – Sassy Chap Games
- Ikeelya – ALL DAY ALL NIGHT
- WINNER: Peak – Team PEAK
- Soulstone Survivors – Game Smithing Limited
- Strange Scaffold – Strange Scaffold
Debut Game:
- WINNER: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Sandfall Interactive
- Discounty – Crinkle Cut Games
- Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson – Ritual Studios
- ILA: A Frosty Glide – Magic Rain Studios
- Sorry We’re Closed – a la mode Games
- Tyrant’s Realm – Team Tyrant
Emotional Impact:
- Afterlove EP – Pikselnesia
- WINNER: and Roger – TearyHand Studio
- Don’t Get Your Hopes Up – Krish Raghav
- Henry Halfhead – Lululu Entertainment
- Wanderstop – Ivy Road
- Wednesdays – Pierre Corbinais, The Pixel Hunt, exaheva
Gameplay Design:
- Absolum – Dotemu, Guard Crush Games, Supamonks
- WINNER: BallxPit – Kenny Sun
- Dawnfolk – Darenn Keller
- Hades 2 – Supergiant Games
- Hollow Knight: Silksong – Team Cherry
- Keep Driving – YCJY Games
- Look Outside – Francis Coulombe
- Öoo – NamaTakahashi, tiny cactus studio, Tsuyomi
- Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo – Pocket Trap
- The King is Watching – Hypnohead
Innovation:
- WINNER: Blue Prince – Dogubomb
- FreeRide – Flightyfelon Games Inc.
- Gas Station Story – enzi
- PBJ The Musical – Philipp Stollenmayer
- Ruffy and the Riverside – Zockrates Laboratories UG
- Taria & Como – Poppyseed Studio Inc, JuVee Productions
Latin American Indie Award:
- Adventure of Samsara – Ilex Games
- Despelote – Julian Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena
- Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo – Galla
- WINNER: Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo – Pocket Trap
- Taria & Como – Poppyseed Studio Inc, JuVee Productions
- Tormented Souls 2 – Dual Effect
Music:
- Everhood 2 – Cazok, KM_EXP, Stewart Keller, Lewmoth, Chris Nordgren, CatGod, Beat Tape,
- Dancefloor Is Lava, INFX
- Herdling – Joel Schoch
- WINNER: Rift of the NecroDancer – Danny Baranowsky, Alex Moukala, Jules Conroy, Josie Brechner,
- Sam Webster, and Nick Nausbaum
- Sonokuni – Don Yasa Crew
- Sword of the Sea – Austin Wintory
- Wheel World – Johnny Jewel, JOON, Orion
Narrative:
- WINNER: Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector – Jump Over the Age
- Consume Me – Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken “coda” Snyder
- Promise Mascot Agency – Kaizen Game Works
- The Drifter – Powerhoof, Dave Lloyd
- The Roottrees are Dead – Evil Trout Inc.
- The Séance of Blake Manor – Spooky Doorway
Solo Development:
- Lushfoil Photography Sim – Matt Newell
- Megabonk – vedinad
- Naiad – HiWarp
- Spilled! – Lente
- WINNER: Tall Trails – Brady Soglin
- Vile: Exhumed – Cara Cadaver
South African Indie Game Award:
- Bru & Boegie Get Da Milk! – MIKDOG
- Finding Father – Studio Bo
- Flibbius McDoogle and The Mysterious Flying Machine – Unsigned Double Collective
- Ikeelya – ALL DAY ALL NIGHT
- Metavoidal – Yellow Lab Games
- WINNER: Stick It To The Stickman – Free Lives
Southeast Asian Indie Game Award:
- Afterlove EP – Pikselnesia
- WINNER: Artis Impact – Mas
- Glyphica: Typing Survival – aliasBLACK
- Sedap! A Culinary Adventure – kopiforge
- Urban Jungle – Kylyk Games
- Whisper Mountain Outbreak – Toge Productions
Visual Design:
- WINNER: 30 Birds – RAM RAM Games, Business Goose Studios
- Artis Impact – Mas
- Cat Detective Albert Wilde – beyondthosehills
- Eclipsium – Housefire
- Mashina – Talha and Jack Co, J. King Spooner, Talha Kaya
- Slime Rancher 2 – Monomi Park
Women-Led Indie Game Award:
- Cabernet – Party for Introverts
- Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping – Happy Broccoli Games
- Gemporium: A Cute Mining Sim – Merge Conflict Studio
- Spilled! – Lente
- WINNER: Urban Myth Dissolution Center – Hakababunko
- White Knuckle – Dark Machine Games
Indie Vanguard Class Selections:
- Chantey – Gortyn Code
- Neon Knives – Cookiecrayon
- Seasonala Cemetry – Gabby DaRienzo, Kait Tremblay, Jen Costa, Nina Wong, Halina Heron, Mobeen
- Fiktree, Jacqueline de Leon
- HYPERBEAT – Alice Bottino, Chancellor Wallin
- Wildwood Down – Crashable Studios
The Mohammad Fahmi Storyteller Award:
- Maddy Thorson – Extremely OK Games, Ltd.
Industry Impact Award:
- Game Devs of Color – represented by Catt Small, Brian S. Chung, and Josh Boykin
Nel complesso, gli Indie Game Awards 2025 restituiscono l’immagine di un settore vitale, capace di spaziare tra sperimentazione, inclusività e ambizione produttiva. E al centro di tutto c’è Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, simbolo di come oggi il confine tra indie e produzioni di grande respiro sia sempre più sottile.