Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Director Never Played Nintendo Growing Up – And It Didn’t Matter
There’s a common belief in the industry that playing classic Nintendo games is almost a prerequisite for becoming a great game director. But the success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 proves otherwise.
As highlighted by Stealth on X, Guillaume Broch, CEO of Sandfall Interactive and director of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - one of 2025’s most acclaimed releases - revealed in a new DenfamiNicoGamer interview that he never had the opportunity to play Nintendo consoles while growing up. Instead, his formative influences came from the Final Fantasy and Atelier series, Devil May Cry, and even SEGA’s Shinobi (PS2).
He’s not alone in this. Ben Fiquet, art and creative director at Lizardcube - the studio behind Streets of Rage 4 and Shinobi: Art of Vengeance - also grew up without Nintendo systems. For many in Europe, this wasn’t unusual: Commodore Amiga home computers and SEGA’s Master System were far more common than the NES or SNES, which dominated in North America.
While that might sound surprising to those raised on Mario, Zelda, and Metroid, it underscores a broader truth: great games don’t require Nintendo nostalgia to exist. Despite lacking that influence, Broch and Fiquet still crafted some of the most celebrated titles of the generation.
As someone who did grow up with Nintendo systems in the late ’80s and early ’90s “my first exposure was Super Mario Bros. in an arcade in 1989, which eventually led me to beg my parents for an NES and later an SNES” I understand how influential Nintendo can be. But the success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Shinobi: Art of Vengeance proves inspiration can come from anywhere, whether JRPGs, stylish action titles, or European home computers.
For JRPG fans who haven’t tried it yet, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a must-play - one of the standout games of the current console generation, and a reminder that the path to creating greatness isn’t tied to one company’s legacy.
Do you think Nintendo’s classics are an essential foundation for game developers, or does the diversity of global influences make modern gaming stronger?
