adminClair Obscur: Expedition 33 was a leading winner at the Develop:Star Awards 2026, earning recognition in three categories. Sandfall Interactive’s game took home Best Game, Best Narrative and Best Audio, while studios and games across the industry were also honoured for their work.
Image credit: Sandfall Interactive
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads the Develop:Star Awards 2026
The awards were held the previous evening, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 receiving prizes for its overall achievement, storytelling and sound. The three wins placed the game among the event’s most recognised titles.
Other awards highlighted a range of studios and projects. Frontier Developments was named Best Studio following the launch of Jurassic World Evolution 3. Landfall Games and Aggro Crab jointly won Best Small Studio, and their game Peak received Best Original IP.
For readers comparing the award categories, Best Game recognises an overall title, while Best Narrative and Best Audio focus on distinct parts of the player experience. The winners list below provides the complete results announced at the event.
Other notable winners
Sony Interactive Entertainment received the Publishing Star award, and Sucker Punch Productions’ Ghost of Yōtei won Best Visual Art. No Man’s Sky earned the inaugural Best Ongoing Game award, while FuturLab’s PowerWash Simulator was recognised as Best Mobile Game.
Blue Prince, developed by Dogubomb and published by Raw Fury, won Best Game Design. Crimson Desert received Best Technical Innovation, and Doom: The Dark Ages was recognised for Best In-Game Accessibility. These category results offer a quick overview of the different types of achievement celebrated at the awards.
Ustwo Games, the developer of Monument Valley 3, received this year’s Develop:Star Award. Tandem Events managing director Andy Lane thanked attendees, nominees, voters and sponsors, and congratulated the winners and shortlisted teams. He described the event as an opportunity to celebrate the work released over the past year and the people behind it.
Full list of Develop:Star Awards 2026 winners
- The Develop Star Award: Ustwo Games
- Best Studio: Frontier Developments
- Best Small Studio: Landfall Games and Aggro Crab
- Best Game: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive, Kepler Interactive)
- Best Mobile Game: PowerWash Simulator (FuturLab)
- Publishing Star (sponsored by IO Interactive): Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Best Game Design: Blue Prince (Dogubomb, Raw Fury)
- Best Narrative: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Original IP: Peak (Landfall Games and Aggro Crab)
- Best Visual Art: Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Best Audio: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Technical Innovation: Crimson Desert (Pearl Abyss)
- Best Ongoing Game: No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
- Tomorrow’s Star (sponsored by Amiqus): Nicole Gregory (Jagex)
- Best EDI Initiative: Limit Break Mentorship
- Best Marketing Campaign: Dispatch (AdHoc Studio, Guillotine)
- Supporting Star: Dead Nice Studio
- Best In-Game Accessibility: Doom: The Dark Ages (id Software, Bethesda Softworks)
- Talent & Recruitment Star: IO Interactive Talent & Acquisition Team
What’s next for the awards?
The Develop:Star Awards are scheduled to return on Wednesday, July 14, during Develop:Brighton 2027. The event is set to run from July 13 to July 15. For anyone following the awards, these dates provide the next opportunity to see which games, studios and industry contributors are recognised.
Conclusion
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won three honours at the Develop:Star Awards 2026, including Best Game, Best Narrative and Best Audio. The full results also recognise achievements in studio development, design, accessibility, publishing and other areas of the games industry.
