Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which initially won Game of the Year and Debut Game at the Indie Game Awards, was disqualified after the organizers discovered the use of generative AI assets during development. The game, developed by Sandfall Interactive and published by Kepler Interactive, had used AI-generated background assets at launch, which were quickly patched out. Despite Sandfall's prior claims that no AI was used, the game’s initial AI asset inclusion led to its disqualification, with awards being reassigned to other games like Sorry We’re Closed and Blue Prince. The controversy has sparked widespread backlash among gamers and industry observers. Many criticize the indie awards for their strict stance and perceived performative overreach, arguing that AI use in game development is widespread and often unintentional or minimal. Some comments suggest the rules are too harsh, especially since AI tools are increasingly integrated into development pipelines for tasks like texturing and coding assistance. The incident highlights ongoing tensions within the gaming community over AI's role in creative industries. Gamers and developers alike are divided on whether AI should be considered a legitimate tool or a form of plagiarism. The controversy also extends to the rising costs of building gaming PCs, driven by increased prices of memory chips and GPUs due to the demand for AI hardware. Overall, the disqualification of Clair Obscur underscores the industry’s struggle to regulate AI use fairly and transparently, with many seeing the decision as a potentially overzealous reaction that could impact future innovation and development practices.