Government Officials Mistake Expedition 33 Item For “Ancient” Artifact
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Tuesday, 10 Feb 2026 22:32 1 german11
A lot of video games have beautiful art, but that art doesn’t tend to break outside the gaming sphere. Aside from special exhibitions, you’re unlikely to see a concept piece for an Assassin’s Creed game in a museum. One Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 fan, however, just discovered that Expedition 33‘s art can apparently be mistaken for something entirely different.
On Reddit, Ahmed15252 shared that their copy of the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 art book was “detained by customs for being ‘possibly ancient.'”The art book, which is included in the game’s “Lumiere Edition” and the “Monolith Set” from Laced Records, is a 48-page hardcover tome labeled Expedition Journal.
While attempting to import a copy into Iraq, Ahmed received a letter from the Ministry of Finance noting that the book had “drawings of monetary value.“
For Ahmed, this seizure is certainly an inconvenience, but it can easily be seen as a win for the Expedition 33 artists at Sandfall. The art book invokes the feeling of a time-weathered log book from the golden age of archaeology, and having it treated as such is a testament to both the presentation of the book and the contents within.
Ahmed is taking the ordeal in stride, joking “10/10 experience will definitely accidentally import history again.” For now, their book is in the hands of the Iraqi Museum, who should be able to confirm that it’s all fictional sooner or later. Unless, of course, they manage to prove that Expedition 33 was a true story all along.
This Book Is Indeed A Treasure
You Won’t Find This On Store Shelves
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was hardly in need of more honors, as it already cleaned up at The Game Awards 2025 and several other ceremonies. Sandfall hasn’t yet commented on the Iraq government’s interest, but it could be a fun marketing point if handled well. That being said, the company isn’t quite as vocal on social media as studios like Baldur’s Gate 3‘s Larian or Kingdom Come: Deliverance‘s Warhorse, so I wouldn’t hold your breath.
As it turns out, the government officials were right about the book’s perceived value, just in a more mundane way. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33‘s smash success means that both the Lumiere Edition and the Monolith Set are thoroughly sold out, so you’ll probably have to turn to expensive resale options if you want a copy of the Expedition Journal for yourself. Otherwise, you can experience some of the memorable art in the game itself.
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