Sandfall Interactive, the studio behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, has recently demanded that a comic book be pulled from shelves.

French comic author Olivier Gay revealed on the 6th via X that he received a formal legal notice from Sandfall Interactive demanding he cease the promotion and sale of his work, 'L'Académie Clair-Obscur'. The studio claims his work is piggybacking on the success of their game for unfair profit.

The author has fiercely contested these claims. He pointed out that the pitch for his work was first submitted to the publisher in 2019, and the final publication contract was signed in 2024, well before the game was even unveiled to the public. He also emphasised that the term in his title refers to a specific magical technique within his story, having no connection to the game whatsoever.

Despite the absurdity of the situation, Gay has decided to bow out of a legal battle and rename his book instead. He simply lacks the financial resources and the emotional bandwidth to take on a corporation. As a fan who has long admired the studio and enjoyed their games, he expressed deep disappointment over this entire affair.

Netizens have been quick to criticise Sandfall Interactive. The core of the argument is that 'clair-obscur' is a standard art term for chiaroscuro, used for over 500 years. Some speculate that this might be the work of an overzealous legal team acting on its own, with the developers perhaps blissfully unaware of the chaos.