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Clair Obscur Expedition 33 has surprisingly been snubbed for the Grammys 2026 nominations, and nominee Austin Wintory has responded saying he is “sad at the lack of Expedition 33,” and that he “would happily trade places [because] That score is the definition of worthy”.
Below are the Grammys 2026 nominations for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media:
- Avatar Frontiers of Pandora – Secrets of the Spires
- Pinar Toprak, composer
- Helldivers 2
- Wilbert Roget, II, composer
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Gordy Haab, composer
- Star Wars Outlaws Wild Card & Pirate’s Fortune
- Cody Matthew Johnson & Wilbert Roget, II, composer
- Sword of the Sea
- Austin Wintory, composer
The exclusion of Clair Obscur Expedition 33 has taken everyone by surprise. Emmy winning composer, Geoff Zanelli, replied to Austin Wintory, saying he “Fully agree(s) about Expedition 33,” but it’s “Hard to throw one of these 5 out though”. Austin Wintory elaborated on his willingness to “trade places,” arguing that “It’s so rare that a score capture(s) the imagination of players SO UNIVERSALLY and insiders/professionals can all agree it’s so brilliantly executed”.
All of the nominated soundtracks are great. Helldivers 2 and Sword of the Sea are excellent for original IPs, meanwhile, the others are great additions to Hollywood blockbuster franchises. At the same time, the exclusion of Clair Obscur Expedition 33 feels scandalous because, as pointed out by Austin Wintory, it is universally beloved and it is nominated for Best Soundtrack for the Golden Joystick Awards 2025.
In addition to being nominated for best video game soundtrack, Clair Obscur Expedition 33 sought an historic Grammy nomination for Best Song Written for Visual Media. Alas, Expedition 33 didn’t get a nod for this either, but this was expected as sadly no video game score has ever been nominated for this category.
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 Nominated for Other Awards
Fortunately, although shockingly snubbed by the Grammys, Clair Obscur Expedition 33 at least has several nominations for the Golden Joystick Awards 2025. It is nominated for Best Soundtrack as well as Ultimate Game of the Year, Best Storytelling, and Best Visual Design.
Sandfall Interactive is also nominated for Studio of the Year, plus Jennifer English is nominated for Best Lead Performer as Maelle, and Ben Starr is nominated for Best Supporting Performer as Verso. The winners will be revealed on November 20th.
As for Geoff Keighley’s Game Awards, there are no nominations yet, but they’re expected by mid-November with the show officially scheduled for December 12th. Expedition 33 is the favorite to win the coveted Game of the Year prize. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director has said Expedition 33 is his GOTY pick, and Microsoft’s Phil Spencer has cost his vote for Sandfall Interactive, too.
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 already won its first Game of the Year in October at the record-breaking Gamescom x Asia event. Although it is the favorite to win at Geoff Keighley’s show, it’s not a shoo-in as we’ve been blessed with many fantastic games this year. Other contenders include Hades 2, Hollow Knight Silksong, Blue Prince, Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yotei, Split Fiction, Donkey Kong Bananza, Ball X Pit, and Megabonk, just to name a few.
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