"Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Publisher Praises Oblivion Remastered for Boosting RPG Visibility"

When Bethesda unexpectedly released The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered alongside the launch of the role-playing game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, many anticipated a clear winner. However, Kepler Interactive, the publisher of Clair Obscur, reported that not only did Oblivion not negatively impact Clair Obscur, but the latter actually benefited from the former's release, as it heightened overall excitement for the RPG genre.

Kepler Interactive's senior portfolio manager, Matt Handrahan, discussed Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's successful launch against the odds with The Game Business.

To set the stage, RPG enthusiasts faced a tough decision: dive into hundreds of hours in Oblivion's Cyrodiil or embark on an expedition to defeat the Paintress in Clair Obscur. The simultaneous launch of these games sparked both excitement and frustration among fans, prompting a playful response from Kepler Interactive on X/Twitter. They posted an edited image of Clair Obscur characters entering an Oblivion Gate, captioned "omg its like barbenheimer," humorously referencing the concurrent release of the films Barbie and Oppenheimer in 2023.

omg its like barbenheimer pic.twitter.com/TN1AFzdggc

— Kepler Interactive (@Kepler_Interact) April 22, 2025

Microsoft, which owns Bethesda and had heavily supported Clair Obscur since its reveal at an Xbox Showcase the previous year, faced criticism for shadow-dropping Oblivion on the same day Clair Obscur launched, especially since both titles were available on Game Pass from day one.

However, Handrahan reassured that there was no cause for concern. "We always knew that Expedition 33 had a very specific identity," he explained. "When I was in the press, I saw the Western-style RPG and the Japanese-style RPG as having quite different appeals and audiences. I knew plenty of people that would play an Elder Scrolls game that wouldn't necessarily play Final Fantasy and vice versa.

"Also, by the time we rolled around, we had momentum of our own and felt pretty confident that we could stand beside it. I think there were other aspects, like the price point we were at and the inclusion in Game Pass… so we knew we would have a lot of interest around the game. We were confident in that. And it went as well as it possibly could have done in our eyes. And, actually, proximity to Oblivion didn't seem to harm us at all. In many ways, I think it just drew attention to quality RPGs that week and everybody was thinking and talking about the genre."

Clair Obscur has proven to be a significant success for Kepler and its French developer, Sandfall Interactive, selling over 1 million copies within just three days and achieving impressive concurrent player numbers on Steam. The game's success even earned praise from French President Macron for the development team.

Bethesda announced that Oblivion Remastered has attracted over 4 million players since its launch, though sales figures have not been disclosed. It, too, has seen substantial concurrent player numbers on Steam.

According to data from Ampere cited by The Game Business, 35% of Clair Obscur players also played Oblivion Remastered, indicating a notable overlap. This overlap is largely attributed to both games being available on Game Pass, with the percentage dropping for players on Steam and PlayStation 5.

We also offer a comprehensive guide to Oblivion Remastered, featuring an expansive Interactive Map, complete Walkthroughs for the Main Questline and every Guild Quest, How to Build the Perfect Character, Things to Do First, every PC Cheat Code, and more.

For Clair Obscur, be sure to check out our tips for the important things to know before heading into the game.