Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 continued its award-season momentum by taking home three prizes at the Develop:Star Awards 2026, including Best Game. The RPG from Sandfall Interactive, published by Kepler Interactive, also won Best Narrative and Best Audio at the ceremony held in Brighton, England on July 15.
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The awards and categories are confirmed in the official Develop:Star Awards winners announcement.
The Develop:Star Awards recognize outstanding achievements in game development across the UK and European industry. This year's ceremony, held ahead of the Develop:Brighton 2027 conference, drew submissions from studios across the continent.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 launched earlier this year to strong critical reception, with reviewers praising its turn-based combat system and atmospheric world-building. The game follows a expedition through a surreal, painterly landscape where reality bends and shifts based on the party's emotional state. The title has emerged as one of the frontrunners in this year's awards circuit.
Frontier Developments was named Best Studio following the launch of Jurassic World Evolution 3, while Landfall Games and Aggro Crab's collaborative title Peak won Best Original IP. The two studios also jointly received the Best Small Studio award.
Sony Interactive Entertainment took home the Publishing Star award, and Sucker Punch Productions' Ghost of Yōtei was recognized for Best Visual Art. No Man's Sky won the inaugural Best Ongoing Game award, while FuturLab's PowerWash Simulator was named Best Mobile Game.
Blue Prince from Dogubomb and Raw Fury won Best Game Design, and Crimson Desert from Pearl Abyss received the Best Technical Innovation award. Id Software's Doom: The Dark Ages was recognized for Best In-Game Accessibility.
Ustwo Games, the developer behind the Monument Valley series, received the Develop Star Award, the ceremony's lifetime achievement honor. The studio was recognized for its contributions to accessible and artistic game design.
"Thank you to everyone who joined us for The Develop:Star Awards last night and congratulations to all the winners and those shortlisted," said Tandem Events managing director Andy Lane. "It was a wonderful evening spent celebrating the very best of the amazing work released over the past year."
The full list of winners was published by GamesIndustry.biz. The Develop:Star Awards will return next year on July 14 during Develop:Brighton 2027, scheduled for July 13 to 15.
