French indie hit vies with global giants at Game Awards

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Paris –  Runaway success this year for French indie hit “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” could be crowned with a Game of the Year title at Thursday’s Game Awards in Los Angeles, the industry’s equivalent of the Oscars.

“Clair Obscur”, the first game from small studio Sandfall Interactive, tells the story of a group of characters battling seemingly impossible odds in a post-apocalyptic universe with a distinctively French visual style.It has been nominated in a record number of categories and will square up against heavyweights like “Death Stranding 2” from industry legend Hideo Kojima of “Metal Gear Solid” fame, or Nintendo’s “Donkey Kong Bananza” starring the eponymous gorilla.Two other beloved indie titles, “Hades 2” from American studio Supergiant Games, and “Hollow Knight: Silksong” from Australia’s Team Cherry, are also contenders.

“Clair Obscur” is also in the running for best roleplaying game, best story, best music, best art direction and several categories recognising acting and voiceovers.

Monday brought a further opportunity to stuff the trophy cabinet in the shape of a nomination for the public-vote category.

Last year’s winner was “Astro Bot”, a platforming game assembling the protagonists who have bounced and blasted their way around gamers’ screens over the life of the PlayStation console series.

Handing out the awards this year will be games industry personalities including Todd Howard, head of the Bethesda studio behind fan-favourite sagas such as “The Elder Scrolls” and “Fallout”, or American actor Jeffrey Wright, who lent his voice to a character in narrative game “Dispatch”.

Teasers 

Major studios and publishers also capitalise on the Game Awards to get fans salivating for their upcoming releases.

Organisers told gamers to expect fresh details about the future for Lara Croft, heroine of the Tomb Raider series that has not seen a new game since 2018.

People watching online will also find out which game is being boosted by a mysterious buzz campaign the Game Awards itself has run in recent days.

The marketing push has emerged into real life with the appearance of a massive, sculpture-encrusted portal in the California desert in recent days.

The Game Awards have been held annually since 2014, and are organised and hosted by Canadian former journalist and presenter Geoff Keighley.

As well as the usual broadcast on YouTube, gaming platform Twitch and other social networks, the ceremony will also be shown on Amazon’s Prime streaming service for the first time this year.

Organisers claimed 154 million spectators across their different distribution channels in 2024.

Votes from a jury of games journalists and influencers are weighted at 90 percent of the result, while the public vote accounts for 10 percent, according to the Game Awards website.

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Source: AFP

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