Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was a massive success for its developers from Sandfall Interactive. However, there is currently a dispute over the name “Clair Obscur”. The author of a comic is said to be prohibited from using it, but the situation is unclear.
What is the dispute about? In a series of posts on X.com, Olivier Gay commented on a letter from a lawyer representing Sandfall Interactive. In it, the company supposedly demands that he remove his graphic novel “L’Académie Clair-Obscur” from circulation.
According to the letter, the comic is supposed to benefit from “the undeniable success of the game.” But determining who is right is not as simple as the developers also note.
Here you can watch the trailer for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33:
Everyone has a point
Who was there first? According to Olivier Gay, he pitched his graphic novel to the publisher Drakoo in 2019 first. This led to the graphic novel “L’Académie Clair-Obscur” in March 2024. At that time, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 had not yet been introduced, which only happened in June 2024.
Even though Olivier Gay was there first, the developers from Sandfall Interactive secured the trademark rights to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. For Olivier Gay, it is clear: he does not want to engage in a legal dispute. He writes: “I have neither the energy nor the money to conduct a legal battle, especially against French studios that I highly respect.”
Thus, he is willing to rename his comic and continue it under a different name.
How are the developers responding to the situation? The developers from Sandfall Interactive published their own post on X.com on Monday. In it, they acknowledge the discussion and explain that they are in contact with Olivier to strive for a fair solution for both parties.
It is clear that Olivier Gay’s book bears no similarities to Expedition 33. The book describes the experiences of a group of students in a magical school – it is thus more similar to Harry Potter than its namesake.
The name Clair Obscur is also the French translation of the Italian word “chiaroscuro”. It describes the juxtaposition of light and darkness from the Italian art history of the Renaissance.
Thus, it is not a name creation of the developers or the author, but an existing term that the developers, however, want to continue using as a franchise title for their future games, as Polygon.com explains.
Whether the comic has to change its name or whether the developers and the author will come to a different solution remains open. What is clear is that the developers want to continue releasing more games with the title, and most likely people think of Expedition 33 when they hear Clair Obscur. Clair Obscur Expedition 33: All builds, tips and guides at a glance
