The Indie Game Awards disqualifies Expedition 33 for AI usage and puts itself in a weird position — was it a fair move or an ambiguous definition of what is acceptable?

The Indie Game Awards key graphic with Expedition 33 crossed out.

The Indie Game Awards have recently wrapped up on YouTube, and initially awarded the excellent Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 with Game of the Year. That win did not last long, as the award was later rescinded after the organization cited the game’s use of generative AI during development.

It was later revealed that the studio behind Expedition 33, Sandfall Interactive, had used “AI, but not much,” according to the game’s producer.