Expedition 33 devs resolve dispute with comic book author

Recently, French author Olivier Gay stated that the developer of Dark Glade: Expedition 33Sandfall Interactive, ordered him to stop selling his recently published and similarly named graphic novel, The Academy of the Glade Obscuro. Sandfall responded publicly with a brief note on Monday, saying it was “in contact with the publisher and Olivier to find a solution that is fair for everyone.” Well, now it seems that all parties have reached that fair solution.

In a message posted to X on Tuesday, Sandfall apologized for being “late” in addressing the “complex” situation.

“Sandfall was working to withdraw the requests from our legal representative, which has already been done. Their role is to protect us in particular against counterfeit products, but the action initiated against the comic ‘L’Académie Clair-Obscur’ published in January 2026 does not align with us,” said the developer (via machine translation). He went on to say that Sandfall “always wanted to support artists and encourage creativity,” and concluded by wishing success to Gay and the book’s artist, Grelin.

It has not been stated what specifically prompted Sandfall’s legal representatives to contact Gay. While the plot of Gay’s comic does not share any similarity with the Expedition 33 game (it’s about students at a magic school), the book obviously has the same phrase from art history, Clair Obscur, in its title. X users also pointed out the typography of The Academy of the Glade Obscuro It is similar to the one used for the game.

Shortly after Sandfall posted on X, Gay also shared a message on the platform thanking Sandfall “for withdrawing their focus.” He noted that the comic “will be able to continue its life,” which presumably means that he and publisher Drakoo will be able to continue selling it without modifications or a new title.

“I won’t hide from you that this is a huge relief for me and a great step on the part of the studio,” Gay continued. He closed his message with a phrase that anyone who has played the game will recognize: “For those who will come after!”