Expedition 33 was disqualified from the Indie Game Awards—but not for the reasons you think – Destructoid

Chiaroscuro: Expedition 33 powered through every show she appeared on, earning the most wins at The Game Awards of all time. It's a stellar game that revolutionized its genre, but also proved that gaming is a true art form.

However, the Indie Game Awards disqualified it not because of its strange funding and controversial “indie” status, but because of its use of artificial intelligence.

This was confirmed by the Indie Game Awards itself, which published a statement. on the FAQ page explaining why Chiaroscuro: Expedition 33 was excluded from the awards on the day of the ceremony because it was already nominated in the Debut Game and Game of the Year categories. He explained that the IGA takes a “strong stance” on the use of AI in video game development and that Sandfall told it before the ceremony that no AI was used in video game production. Expedition 33.

However, Sandfall Interactive said it used “some artificial intelligence” in creating the game. Expedition 33 months ago(via El Pais), which apparently caught the attention of the IGA on the day the ceremony was to take place.

“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 truly disqualifying Chiaroscuro: Expedition 33 since his nomination,” the organization said.

“While the assets in question have been corrected and are a great game, they are against our current rules,” the company added.

The IGA has strict rules when it comes to the use of generative AI models, but is apparently willing to rework and revise its guidelines for future ceremonies given how popular the technology is becoming (unfortunately).

Despite this, Chiaroscuro: Expedition 33 was left out of at least one major awards show, although that's not a big deal. It won all the categories in which it was nominated for the Golden Joysticks 2025.received nine Game Awards and It was even named “Game of the Year” by Destructoid.p(even the community agreed).