Table of Contents
- Is Clair Obscur’s Controversial Golden Joystick Clean Sweep Really Deserved Or Just Overhyped Fan Service?
- What exactly Clair Obscur won
- Other standout winners across the night
- Nintendo, still‑playing favorites, and long‑tail success
- Why fan‑voted awards feel “biased” – and why they still matter
- Looking ahead to The Game Awards 2025
Is Clair Obscur’s Controversial Golden Joystick Clean Sweep Really Deserved Or Just Overhyped Fan Service?
The 43rd Golden Joystick Awards, held in London and driven by millions of public votes, saw Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 become the night’s dominant force. The RPG from French studio Sandfall Interactive walked away with seven trophies, including Ultimate Game of the Year, tying the modern record for most wins in a single year at the Joysticks.
Across the board, Clair Obscur was recognized for narrative, presentation, and performances, underlining how completely it resonated with both critics and players. Sandfall Interactive itself was named Studio of the Year, highlighting how a relatively small team can stand shoulder‑to‑shoulder with the biggest names in the industry when execution and vision align.
What exactly Clair Obscur won
In simple terms, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 didn’t just win big – it won everything it was up for. Its haul covered both creative and technical categories, which is rare even at fan‑voted shows.
Key wins for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 included:
- Ultimate Game of the Year, the top fan‑voted prize of the night.
- Best Storytelling, recognizing its emotional narrative and character arcs.
- Best Soundtrack, highlighting its score as a core part of the experience rather than background noise.
- Best Visual Design, rewarding its distinctive art direction and worldbuilding.
- Studio of the Year for Sandfall Interactive, honoring the team behind the game.
- Best Lead Performer for Jennifer English’s performance.
- Best Supporting Performer for Ben Starr’s role.
Taken together, this combination of awards shows that Clair Obscur is being celebrated not just as a popular hit, but as a complete package across storytelling, audio, visuals, and acting.
Other standout winners across the night
While Clair Obscur dominated headlines, several other games also carved out important wins. Sony’s Ghost of Yotei took home Best Audio Design and was named Console Game of the Year, underscoring how strongly its soundscape and platform focus landed with players.
Indie titles had a particularly strong showing, with Blue Prince winning Best Indie Game and Hollow Knight: Silksong securing Best Indie Game (Self‑published) as well as PC Game of the Year. These results highlight how independent studios can now compete directly with AAA publishers when it comes to innovation and player loyalty on PC and beyond.
Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto 6 continued to dominate hype cycles, winning Best Game Trailer and the Most Wanted Game award thanks to its latest showcase of open‑world chaos. Elsewhere, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered took Best Remake / Remaster, showing that nostalgia still has serious pulling power even when some fans have raised concerns about performance issues.
Multiplayer and live‑service experiences were also well represented, with Peak voted Best Multiplayer Game and earning the Streamers’ Choice award, confirming its status as a breakout favorite among creators and their communities. In the ongoing‑content space, Lies of P: Overture was recognized as Best Game Expansion and R.E.P.O. took Best Early Access Game, signaling strong player engagement even before full release.
On the industry‑facing side, Schedule I received the Breakthrough Award, while Arcane Season 2 won Best Game Adaptation, confirming that high‑quality transmedia storytelling is fast becoming a strategic pillar for major IPs. In hardware, AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D was named Best Gaming Hardware, beating out the Nintendo Switch 2 and underlining how seriously PC performance still factors into the enthusiast conversation.
Nintendo, still‑playing favorites, and long‑tail success
Nintendo still managed to secure some spotlight, with Donkey Kong Bananza earning the Critics’ Choice award, a strong signal of critical respect in a largely fan‑voted show. Long‑running mobile hit Pokémon Go won the Still Playing – Mobile category, while evergreen favorite Minecraft took Still Playing – PC & Console, proving that live updates and strong communities can keep games relevant for years.
These “still playing” awards are important because they acknowledge retention, community health, and long‑term value, not just launch‑week excitement. For studios and publishers, winning here is a powerful signal that their support roadmaps and update strategies are working over the long haul.
Why fan‑voted awards feel “biased” – and why they still matter
The Golden Joystick Awards are sometimes called the People’s Gaming Awards because most major categories are decided by public vote rather than a closed jury. That structure naturally introduces bias toward games with big, motivated fanbases, strong marketing, and high social‑media visibility, rather than purely “objective” critical assessment.
However, that same bias is also their biggest strength: the results capture what active players are genuinely excited about in a given year, which is invaluable for publishers, marketers, and developers trying to measure real‑world sentiment. When a game like Clair Obscur sweeps across storytelling, visual design, and performance categories in a fan vote, it becomes a strong proof point for future marketing, award campaigns, and even funding conversations.
Looking ahead to The Game Awards 2025
Attention now turns to The Game Awards 2025, which will be held on December 11 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles and streamed globally. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 already leads that show with a record number of nominations, setting up a fascinating second test of its staying power with a hybrid jury‑and‑fan voting system.
If Clair Obscur can convert its Golden Joystick momentum into another strong performance at The Game Awards, it will move beyond “surprise hit” territory into a consensus choice for game of the year across both critics and players. Either way, its seven‑trophy Joystick sweep has already secured its place as one of 2025’s defining and most hotly debated gaming success stories.