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The debate around performance recognition in games has sharpened following the awards season success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, with the Clair Obscur mocap actor arguing that current categories fail to reflect how characters are actually made. Maxence Cazorla, who performed the full motion capture for protagonist Gustave, has questioned whether awards that single out one performer can ever fairly represent collaborative character work.

Since its release, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has drawn attention for its acting across voice, motion capture, and writing. Jennifer English, Ben Starr, and Charlie Cox all received Best Performer nominations at The Game Awards 2025. Cox was nominated for voicing Gustave, the game’s central character. The physical performance, including body language, facial movement, and scene blocking, was delivered by Cazorla, a French actor who worked on the role months before voice recording began.

Image credit: Maxence Cazorla, Behind The Voice/YouTube

Cazorla’s comments followed public praise from Cox, who used his nomination to redirect attention toward the motion capture process. Cox’s remarks were made during a panel recorded by POSTA Entretenimiento, where he emphasized that Gustave’s performance was built primarily through physical acting before his own voice work was added.

“Yes, I’m thrilled for this nomination,” Cox said.

“I’ve said this before, and I think it is important to say that there’s an amazing French actor by the name of Maxence Cazorla who did almost all of the motion capture for that role.”

“And so, any nomination or any credit I get, I really have to give to him, because I really believe that the performance of that character is down to him, and my voice was just part of that process.”— Charlie Cox

Cazorla later expanded on how the role was constructed, describing a process closer to film production than traditional voice acting. He performed Gustave’s scenes in full, working from scripts and direction under Guillaume Broche before any voice lines were recorded. Only after the cinematic team integrated those scenes into the game engine did voice actors enter the process.

“We started by doing the performance capture without any particular constraints, approaching it like a film,” Cazorla said.

“Once the shoot was done and the scenes were integrated into the game engine by the cinematic team, that’s when the voice actors stepped in and recorded their performances.”— Maxence Cazorla

Cazorla noted that he did not see the final, voiced version of Gustave until months later, when the game was playable in full. He described the end result as a fusion of multiple disciplines rather than a single performance that could be cleanly isolated.

“In the end, it’s really the combination of these two performances, along with the incredible writing and development work, that gave birth to the character.”— Maxence Cazorla

Asked directly about awards recognition, Cazorla resisted calls for a separate motion capture category, arguing that it would still oversimplify how modern games are made. He explained that within Clair Obscur alone, character construction varies widely. Some roles are split between two actors, others involve three or more contributors across physical performance, voice, and stunt work. In some productions, a single actor handles all aspects. In others, teams rotate depending on scheduling and technical needs.

“When it comes to a potential motion capture category, I think it’s a delicate subject, because every game is built differently,” Cazorla said.

Instead, he pointed to character-based awards as a more accurate solution, citing the DICE Awards as an example. Those ceremonies recognize characters rather than individual performers, allowing credit to extend across acting, writing, animation, and design.

“If you reward Gustave as a character and his impact on players, you acknowledge Charlie Cox for the voice, myself for the performance capture, but also the writers who shaped his personality, the character artists, and everyone who contributed to bringing him to life,” Cazorla said.

He framed the issue as structural rather than personal, stressing that no single contributor should be elevated at the expense of others whose work remains unseen.

“Video games are, by nature, a collaborative art form, and characters resonate because many artists give them their soul,” Cazorla said. “Celebrating a Best Character category feels more logical to me than isolating a single performer and potentially leaving others invisible.”— Maxence Cazorla

The discussion arrives during a historic year for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The title earned 12 nominations at The Game Awards 2025, becoming the most nominated game in the show’s history, and competed in categories ranging from performance to Game of the Year. Beyond awards, the game’s production methods have become a reference point in conversations about how acting is credited as performance capture grows more complex.

Read also, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 celebrated its Game of the Year win with a free DLC released in December, adding a new late-game zone, additional challenges, and expanded customization options as a thank-you to players following its record-breaking awards performance.