Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 looks primed to take several awards home at The Game Awards next month. Sandfall Interactive’s turn-based RPG has several nominations across multiple categories, including the big one: Game of the Year. One category it is most represented in is Best Performance, which features three members of its English voice cast, one of whom has sparked a surprising conversation about how we recognize performances in video games.
Daredevil actor Charlie Cox, the voice behind Clair Obscur’s gunslinging false protagonist, admits that he wasn’t as involved in the game as other members of the cast. He spent a few hours in the booth and was surprised to hear just how much people loved his character. Back in July, he admitted he still hadn’t played the game yet, either. Now that his performance as Gustave has been nominated for an award, Cox seems hesitant to take any of the credit.
During a Q&A segment at the La Conve 64 event in Mexico, Cox said that any credit he gets for his voice performance should be given to Gustave’s motion capture actor.
“I’m thrilled for this nomination,” Cox said. “I’ve said this before, and I think it’s important to say, there’s an amazing French actor by the name of Maxence Cazorla who did almost all of the motion capture for that role in that game. So any nomination or any credit I get, I really have to give to him because I kind of believe that the performance of that character is really down to him, and my voice is just part of that process.”
Cazorla has since responded to Cox’s sentiment on his X account, saying that the actor’s words were appreciated, but bringing Gustave to life was a team effort.
Thank you for all the messages these past few days.
Charlie’s words were incredibly generous, and I’m truly grateful 🙏
Bringing Gustave to life was a team effort, and I’m honored to have played my part in it.
Thank you all so much for the love and support 🌹🤍
Tomorrow comes ✨— Maxence Cazorla (@maxence_cazorla) November 25, 2025
Notably, Cazorla was also the motion capture for Renoir and Verso. Ben Starr, who provided the English dub for Verso, is also nominated in the Best Performance category, as well as Jennifer English for her role as Maelle. Cazorla may not be the name many English-speaking players associate with these characters, but as Cox points out, the motion capture artists deserve credit for helping bring these characters to life.
Is there a future where The Game Awards recognizes motion capture actors separately from voice actors? Some industry professionals, like Baldur’s Gate 3 performance director Aliona Baranova, sure hope so.
yup, i think we should have a motion capture category at awards shows https://t.co/6vYaLwXU7X
— Aliona Baranova (@alionabaranova1) November 26, 2025
I would be surprised if The Game Awards bothers to make that distinction. The show already has a propensity to imperfectly lump categories together, such as discontinuing the Best Shooter category to put those games in the Best Action Game pile. But maybe as the industry becomes more aware of how many moving parts make up a whole character like Gustave, award shows will find ways to recognize everyone involved, rather than just the person behind the voice.
