France awards Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 developers prestigious Order of Arts and Letters knighthoods

28 members of Sandfall Interactive, the creators of last year’s hit RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, have been made Knights of France's prestigious Order of Arts and Letters by the country’s Ministry of Culture.

The details:

• The ceremony took place this week at the Ministry of Culture, where French Culture Minister Rachida Dati presented the honors to the Montpellier-based team. Dati praised the title as "a major moment in the history of French video games," highlighting its global impact, artistic depth, and role in elevating video games as "a major art form and an essential industry."
• This follows the game’s record-breaking run at The Game Awards in December, which saw the studio take home nine out of the 13 awards that it was nominated for, three of which were within the same category. Dati noted that during the show, the developers donned traditional Breton striped shirts and red berets, which was seen as a symbol of national pride.
• The Order of Arts and Letters, established in 1957, honors contributions to arts and literature. Past gaming recipients include Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma, Rayman creator Michel Ancel, and Bullfrog and Lionshead legend Peter Molyneux. The prestigious award is given to just 200 people each year.