The Indie Game Awards has previously taken a stance against the use of generative AI, confirming that games that used generative AI during the development process are not eligible for consideration for any awards. Now, it has upheld that stance, with a new announcement from the IGA's Nomination Committee officially retracting Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's Game of the Year and Debut Game awards after Sandfall Interactive admitted to using generative AI during the production of the game. This is in spite of Sandbox Interactive previously confirming during the deliberation process that it had not used generative AI in the game. The studio later admitted to using generative AI during the development process—and accidentally shipping AI assets at launch—which goes against The Indie Game Awards's stance on the controversial technology.

The Indie Game Awards has instead awarded the Best Debut Game award to Sorry We're Closed, a story-driven survival horror game that mixes top-down navigation and exploration with arcade-style first-person shooting. Meanwhile, the 2025 Game of the Year award was awarded to Blue Prince, a "strategy puzzle adventure" roguelite game. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 still has the multiple awards that it won during the 2025 The Game Awards, although those awards have also been called into question by the gaming community because of the game's budget and its large workforce, which some argue should disqualify it from indie status. An extended statement about the IGA retractions follows.