France gives 28 Clair Obscur developers a knighthood and says ‘video games have reached a new level of recognition’

Tonight’s ceremony is anything but trivial. It can be summed up as follows: an exceptional award for an exceptional success.

Twenty-eight of you are receiving today the insignia of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters.

Because what the Republic wished to distinguish today was not an individual journey, but the brilliant success of a collective.

By its scale, by its impact, by the support of the public as well as the critics, your work Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has established itself as a major moment in the history of French video games.

So of course, we have 1000 reasons to be proud tonight. For my part, I will highlight three.

The first source of pride is that of an entire country which, thanks to you, has seen its creators shine throughout the world.

A country that saw each and every one of you take to the stage at The Game Awards and receive nine trophies – an absolute record. And that saw you receive them… in Breton striped shirts and red berets!

A cliché, fully embraced. And all the more delightful because – as you yourselves admit – you didn’t really choose it.

Because this style is primarily embraced, adopted, and disseminated by your fans. Your fans now number in the millions worldwide. The Clair Obscur phenomenon has become a veritable tidal wave, bringing French video games into the spotlight like rarely before.

The second source of pride is that of an entire territory.

The one in Montpellier, where you chose to settle. And this choice is not insignificant. Because in just a few decades, Montpellier has become one of the areas where video games and cultural and creative industries have developed with the most vitality.

Your careers are largely intertwined with this story – I also note that the average age is thirty-two! For most of you, Clair-Obscur: Expedition 33 is the first game you’ve worked on. What better way to start your career?

The first stones of this game were laid by Guillaume, who started imagining this adventure late at night, in his free time, and was quickly joined by Tom, then by Jennifer, Lorien and François.

This meeting with François Meurisse was what ultimately led to the creation of the studio.

Very quickly, this studio became a true creative workshop, bringing together a whole constellation of talents – all of you who are kind enough to be here with us today.

At a time when the video game industry is going through a difficult period, your success restores confidence, energy and momentum to an entire sector.

And that’s the third reason to be proud.

It is no exaggeration to say that with ClairObscur, video games have reached a new level of recognition.

Your success has acted as a catalyst: revealing the place taken by video games as a cultural practice, as an industrial issue, as a lever for influence and soft power, but above all as an art form in its own right.

In the press, in conversations, far beyond the circle of players, Clair-Obscur was celebrated like a film or a book that has touched the whole world.

For the French video game industry, your success says something very simple and very important: video games are no longer reserved for a certain age, generation, or social class. They have found their place, naturally, in our cultural lives.

Above all, video games are an art form that encompasses all others.

Just look at the beautiful diversity of professions that you represent today.

First, there are the graphic design and art direction professions. Clair-Obscur ‘s visual identity is immediately striking. One recognizes echoes of Haussmann and Eiffel’s Paris, the Belle Époque, and the fashion of the 1900s. But these references are never static: they are transformed, reinvented, to give birth to a completely unique world.

Then there are the professions of storytelling, writing, and dramaturgy.

Your story unfolds like a gradual, profound, and moving revelation. Little by little, the world reveals a gravity we hadn’t initially suspected. I know how deeply it affected the players; some were profoundly shaken by the story and how it reflects back to us our own failings. It’s further proof that culture has a power far greater than mere entertainment.

There’s also the soundscape. Music that doesn’t just accompany the game, but is an essential component of it. A musical work in its own right, essentially, a work within a work, dear Lorien Testard.

This remarkable work, which the public has already had the opportunity to discover in philharmonic concerts, will soon be touring France and Europe after two initial performances at the Salle Pleyel, thanks to your talent, dear Daniel Sicard.

And the soundscape, I mustn’t forget, also includes voices, dear Alice Duport-Percier, dear Féodor Atkine. Whether through singing or speaking, dubbing is an art form in its own right, and you have brilliantly demonstrated this.

And then there’s the gameplay, the heart of video games. You’ve managed to bring astonishing innovations, refresh familiar mechanics, and find the perfect balance between exploration, strategy, and combat. A balance that makes you want to see it through to the end.

By awarding you this distinction collectively, the Republic salutes these professions, this diversity of talent, and clearly affirms that video games are a major art form.

Therefore, I cannot conclude without also mentioning the pride that is mine – and that of the entire Ministry of Culture.

I firmly believe that video games are an essential industry and a distinct art form. Therefore, they have a vital place at the heart of our cultural policy.

Through the CNC – the National Center for Cinema and Animated Images – for which video games are a core competency, the French industry benefits from very strong public support. This support is demanding and structured.

The choice we are making, through our cultural policy and our support model, is clear: that of genuine, demanding works, capable of entertaining without impoverishing and of reaching a wide audience without sacrificing artistic ambition.

Clair Obscur fully belongs to this category. And it’s probably no coincidence that your game bears this name.

Your work thrives precisely on these contrasts: between audacity and mastery, between heritage and invention, between intimacy and universality. And, I tell you, your work, that of all your partners present here, has made it possible to create a truly great body of work. A body of work that is now, and forever will be, part of our shared heritage.

Thank you.

In the name of the French Republic, I hereby make you Knights in the Order of Arts and Letters.