Sandfall Interactive Built Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Gameplay in Blueprints Instead of C++

As GDC 2026 continues to deliver behind the scenes insight into some of the industry’s most talked about recent releases, one of the more surprising technical reveals has come from Sandfall Interactive. During a developer talk discussed by Insomniac Games’ Elan Ruskin, a slide from the presentation stated that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 used Blueprints for “ALL gameplay systems,” highlighting how the studio avoided relying on traditional C++ gameplay programming in Unreal Engine for the project.

That is a notable disclosure because Blueprints are Unreal Engine’s node based visual scripting system, designed to let developers create gameplay logic without writing the same amount of low level code typically associated with C++ heavy workflows. Epic’s own documentation describes Blueprints as a complete gameplay scripting system built around a visual, node based interface, which makes them especially attractive for teams looking to iterate quickly or empower a broader range of developers across design and gameplay production.

For Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, that approach appears to have been part of a larger production strategy rather than a shortcut. Sandfall Interactive is still a relatively young studio, and using Blueprints across all gameplay systems suggests the team prioritized development speed, flexibility, and accessibility inside Unreal Engine over building out a more conventional C++ driven gameplay pipeline. That choice likely helped the studio keep its workflow lean while focusing resources on the areas where the game clearly stood out most, including art direction, atmosphere, cinematic presentation, and storytelling. This is an inference based on the reported presentation slide and on how Epic positions Blueprint driven iteration inside Unreal Engine.

Naturally, the reveal has already triggered debate among developers and players. Some responses on X have suggested that such heavy reliance on Blueprints may help explain some of the performance concerns players have raised around the game. However, that remains speculation rather than a confirmed technical diagnosis from Sandfall itself. What is confirmed is the core workflow choice: the studio leaned fully into Blueprint based gameplay systems and still delivered one of the most acclaimed games in recent memory.

🤯#GDC #ClairObscur pic.twitter.com/aZ9mit6OdA

— Elan Ruskin @ GDC (@despair) March 9, 2026

That is what makes this story especially interesting from a broader industry perspective. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has often been praised for feeling far bigger and more polished than what many would expect from a newer team, and this GDC detail adds another piece to that picture. It shows that advanced production outcomes do not always require the most traditional or most engineering heavy development structure. Sometimes the smarter move is choosing a pipeline that matches the team’s strengths and lets creative execution move faster, even if it goes against the assumptions many players still have about how technically ambitious games must be built.

In practical terms, Sandfall’s workflow is also a reminder of how far Unreal Engine’s built in toolsets have evolved. Blueprints were once viewed by some developers primarily as a prototyping layer or a designer friendly entry point, but projects like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 show how far visual scripting can go when it is used deliberately and at scale. That does not mean C++ is no longer necessary across modern game development, but it does underline that studios now have more viable paths to shipping visually rich, mechanically complex games than they did a decade ago. This conclusion is supported by Epic’s documentation on Blueprints and by the reported Sandfall presentation details.

What do you think about Sandfall Interactive building all gameplay systems in Blueprints? Does this change how you view Unreal Engine workflows for modern AAA style projects?