The French studio’s title also took Best Sound at the São Paulo ceremony, giving it two honours at a festival that has become a major showcase for Latin American and international game development. The awards formed part of Gamescom Latam, where organisers selected 81 titles for the BIG Festival competition and drew attention to a broad mix of independent, student, mobile and regional projects.
The Best Game prize adds to a year-long run of recognition for Expedition 33, which launched on 24 April 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC, with availability through Game Pass from day one. Developed by Sandfall Interactive and published by Kepler Interactive, the game has been widely noted for combining turn-based combat with real-time mechanics, a Belle Époque-inspired visual identity, and a narrative built around a doomed expedition seeking to stop the mysterious Paintress from erasing people by age.
Its awards momentum has been unusually strong for a debut release. Expedition 33 has already claimed top honours across several major ceremonies, including Best Game at the BAFTA Games Awards, Game of the Year at The Game Awards, and top recognition at developer and industry-voted events. The BIG Festival result signals that its appeal has not been confined to the major North American and European awards circuit.
The scale of its commercial performance has also set it apart from most new intellectual properties. The game crossed 500,000 copies within 24 hours of launch, reached 1 million in three days, 2 million in less than two weeks, and 3.3 million within 33 days. By its first anniversary, sales had passed 8 million units worldwide, excluding the full impact of subscription-based play. That figure places the title among the most successful new RPG launches of the decade and gives Sandfall a rare position among smaller studios competing against global publishing giants.
The BIG Festival Awards result came at an event where local and regional winners remained central to the programme. Brazilian and Latin American studios featured prominently across categories, reflecting the festival’s role as a platform for the region’s expanding development scene. Gamescom Latam has increasingly served as a meeting point for publishers, investors, creators and independent teams seeking access to global markets, and this year’s edition underlined the scale of that ambition.
Expedition 33’s success also highlights the changing economics of premium games. Its rise has been powered by critical acclaim, strong word of mouth, social media visibility, streamer attention, and a subscription launch that widened its early audience without appearing to weaken direct sales. For publishers, the title has become a case study in how a distinctive creative identity can cut through a crowded market dominated by sequels, franchises and live-service releases.
Sandfall’s achievement is notable because the studio was not a legacy name before Expedition 33. Based in Montpellier, it built the game with a relatively compact team compared with the vast production pipelines behind many blockbuster RPGs. Its success has sharpened interest in France’s games sector, where public funding, regional development hubs and a deep pool of animation, art and technical talent have helped studios compete internationally.
The game’s Best Sound award at the BIG Festival also reflects one of its most visible strengths. Expedition 33’s music became a major part of its identity, with orchestral and vocal compositions helping define its melancholic tone. The soundtrack’s popularity extended beyond the game’s player base, reaching classical and crossover music charts and attracting substantial streaming numbers. That crossover appeal has helped the title occupy a cultural space beyond the usual RPG audience.
Competition at the BIG Festival Awards remained diverse. What The Clash? won Best Mobile Game, Is This Seat Taken? took Best Casual Game, and other honours went to titles spanning student work, innovation, art, multiplayer and regional development. That spread gave the ceremony a wider industry meaning, with Expedition 33’s headline win sitting alongside recognition for smaller experiments and emerging studios.
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