Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Developers Refuse to Declare a Canon Ending While Crafting a Sequel: 'It's a Schrodinger's Ending'

If you've completed Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, you likely have strong feelings about its multiple endings. While I won't delve into specifics upfront to avoid spoilers, this article focuses on a key revelation from one of the game's writers: developer Sandfall Interactive has no plans to establish one ending as official over the other, even as they develop future games in the same universe.

From this point on, I'll assume you've finished the game and experienced at least one of its two conclusions. Major spoilers for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's ending follow—proceed with caution.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 presents two possible endings regardless of your gameplay choices or side quest completion. In the finale, you must select either Maelle or Verso to battle the other in a one-on-one fight, with victory determining which character's ending you receive. Both outcomes are deeply tragic and unsatisfying in their own ways. Verso's ending provides emotional release for both protagonists but results in the deaths of most beloved supporting characters. Maelle's ending spares everyone's lives but sacrifices multiple individuals' free will, along with Maelle's own sanity and possibly her life. This harsh choice aligns perfectly with the personalities Verso and Maelle display throughout the game.

This naturally raises the question: which ending is the 'real' or canon one? You might argue it's up to the player, but with Sandfall Interactive confirming work on another game in the same universe, future stories could intersect with the consequences of either choice. Wouldn't that force them to pick a canon version? Not according to writer Jennifer Svedberg-Yen, who I interviewed at last month's DICE Summit. 'We are not going to pick one,' she stated. When pressed on whether they'd ever decide, she responded, 'Never say never, but there is no canon ending there. It is a Schrodinger's ending.'

Svedberg-Yen explained that the two tragic endings were decided early in development. The writers always intended for Maelle and Verso to clash, and they shared a distaste for conventional 'storybook' happy endings. 'I think that was almost like an unspoken agreement,' she added. 'We never even considered really a true, happy ending. I think there was maybe a happier one possibly. You can see also in the way that the endings are edited, that one has a slightly more uplifting tone and one has a slightly darker tone. That was a choice that Guillaume made in terms of just having a little bit of shading there. But from my perspective, narratively, both are equally valid. Both are both good and bad. And it really just depends on whose perspective, whose good or whose happily-ever-after you are prioritizing.'

At least this means Verso's ending can remain canon in my personal interpretation.

Our conversation with Svedberg-Yen also covered her unconventional path to becoming a writer on Expedition 33, the emotional inspirations behind the main characters, and amusing bets her colleagues lost due to the game's success. You can read the full interview here.