Chiaroscuro: Expedition 33 received the “Game of the Year” and “Debut Game” awards at Indie Game Awards on Thursday, but the teams at developer Sandfall Interactive and publisher Kepler Interactive weren't able to celebrate for long. The Indie Game Awards were withdrawn on Saturday. Chiaroscuroaward for the inclusion of generative AI resources at launch, which were quickly fixed.
As detailed in Indie Game Awards FAQ PageThe organization states that “representatives of Sandfall Interactive agreed that no AI gene was used in the development of the game.” Chiaroscuro: Expedition 33” when the game was submitted for awards consideration. “In light of Sandfall Interactive confirming the use of AI art in production on the opening night of the 2025 Indie Game Awards, this is indeed disqualifying Chiaroscuro: Expedition 33 from his nomination.” Although the AI-generated assets were corrected, their initial inclusion was enough to cause the Indie Game Awards to disqualify Chiaroscuro: Expedition 33 and withdraw your rewards.
Polygon has reached out to Sandfall Interactive for comment.
The IGA Nominations Committee is officially withdrawing the Debut Game and Game of the Year awards, awarding both categories to new winners. Additionally, we are revoking one of our Indie Vanguard recipients. Full details can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions section of the Game Eligibility section: www.indiegameawards.gg/faq – Indie Game Awards (@indiegameawards.gg) 2025-12-20T18:45:10.232Z
Quotes from Sandfall Interactive's Francois Meurisse from earlier this year made the rounds on social media last week amid a news cycle focused on the use of generative AI in games, sparked by comments from Larian Studios' Sven Vincke, who said Larian was using AI tools to develop upcoming Divinity. Sandfall Interactive previously admitted that it used artificial intelligence in development Chiaroscuro. Spanish outlet in June Country published a story including an interview conducted around ChiaroscuroThe launch of the game, in which Meurisse admitted that Sandfall used a minimal amount of generative AI in one form or another during the game's development.
“We used a little bit of AI, but not that much,” he said (via Google Translate). “The main thing is that we knew very clearly what we wanted to do and where to invest our efforts. And, of course, technology has allowed us to do things that were unthinkable just recently.”
Chiaroscuro: Expedition 33 launched with textures that some suspected were AI-generated, which El País explained were then replaced with user-generated assets in a quick patch five days after release. Users on X And Reddit discovered AI assets, but awareness of them was not widespread. Sandy waterfall and Chiaroscuro I didn't get much negative reaction, as did, say, 11 Bit Studios Alterswhich also included AI-generated background resources.
Currently, the Indie Game Awards are awarded to two more games in the following categories: Chiaroscuro won, with the awards “moving on to the next highest-ranking game in the relevant category,” according to an explainer on the website. The debut game award goes to We are closed and the “Game of the Year” award according to the Indie Game Awards will be presented Blue Prince (own testing ground best game of 2025). Expect acceptance speeches from the developers of both games to be published in early 2026.
