Over the last decade The Game Awards has served up countless unforgettable moments: It Takes Two toppling much larger contenders for Game of the Year, a fervent showdown between Sonic and Genshin Impact supporters in the Player’s Voice race, and surprise breakout hits like Balatro claiming attention on the ceremony’s main stage. Yet in ten years the show has never produced one thing many fans anticipate — a bona fide sweep.
Could 2025 change that? It’s not out of the question, thanks to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
In awards parlance, a “sweep” means a single work wins nearly every category for which it’s eligible. Think back to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King at the Oscars, which essentially cleaned up by taking home awards in all 11 categories it was nominated for in 2003. The Game Awards’ high-water mark so far is The Last of Us Part II, which captured seven trophies in 2020 — impressive, but not a full sweep, as it missed out on some technical honors like Best Art Direction and Best Score and Music. There remains room for a game to push past that and set a new benchmark.
Image: Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive
Although the official nominee list hasn’t been announced yet, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 already looks like a front-runner. It’s been widely tipped for Game of the Year since launch — a status that only strengthened after Grand Theft Auto VI slipped into 2026 — and titles like Hollow Knight: Silksong haven’t noticeably dented its momentum. Its rise feels as inevitable as Elden Ring or Baldur’s Gate 3 were in their seasons, and if it secures Game of the Year, Best RPG is a likely follow-up.
Where Clair Obscur becomes especially dangerous is its cross-category appeal. Games that win Game of the Year don’t always claim Best Direction, but Clair Obscur’s singular artistic vision and meticulous execution make it a natural candidate. Its emotionally charged narrative likewise positions it for Best Narrative, though it will face competition from contenders such as Silent Hill f and Ghost of Yōtei; the opening alone could tip some votes in its favor.
Linking major awards with technical prizes is the tougher challenge. Clair Obscur has plausible claims in several technical fields: Score and Music could go its way, though it will need to contend with the nostalgic charm of Mario Kart World, and Art Direction seems within reach given the game’s striking visuals and distinctive character design. Audio Design might be its weakest technical suit — an area where Hollow Knight: Silksong might shine — but even without that category, the game could conceivably walk away with half a dozen trophies.
Beating The Last of Us Part II’s seven-award haul would require favorable outcomes across many fronts, and Best Performance is a pivotal piece of that puzzle. A standout lead performance is essential, but multiple nominated cast members can split support among jurors. Jennifer English is often mentioned as a strong contender, but overcoming names like Troy Baker — eligible for his role in last year’s Indiana Jones and the Great Circle — would be difficult. Ghost of Yōtei’s Erika Ishii is another heavyweight on many ballots. That’s before tallying a long list of other potential nominees.
Image: Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive
The independent categories are where the sweep could ultimately be won or lost. As a “AA” production, Clair Obscur occupies an awkward middle ground between mainstream triple-A epics and small indies — much like Baldur’s Gate 3 did before. Although its scale suggests a Sony-sized production, Sandfall Interactive remains an independent studio, and Kepler Interactive’s involvement hasn’t traditionally pushed its releases out of indie contention (see examples such as Pacific Drive in 2024 and Sifu in 2022).
The Game Awards’ indie definition has been a source of debate — a controversy reignited when the Nexon-published Dave the Diver earned a Best Independent nomination in 2023 — so how voters classify Clair Obscur will matter. If jurors rule it indie-eligible, it could plausibly claim Best Independent Game and Best Debut Indie Game; on the other hand, precedent isn’t promising. Baldur’s Gate 3 didn’t appear in the Best Independent category the year it won Game of the Year, so it’s difficult to imagine a different verdict for Clair Obscur. Still, The Game Awards has surprised before.
All told, Clair Obscur could match The Last of Us Part II’s haul, but exceeding it hinges on fine margins and rulebook quirks. Maybe seven awards is the practical ceiling at TGA — wins for Game of the Year, Direction, Narrative, Performance, and a genre prize might reasonably be called a sweep. Or perhaps the bar can move higher.
Is it imaginable that one day a warm, narrative-driven debut indie with robust crafting, a great multiplayer mode, VR support, and a polished mobile port could sweep the ceremony? Could gaming ever produce its own Return of the King? Whoever creates that game will face the delightful problem of delivering a dozen acceptance speeches.
Source: Polygon
