Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s absence from the 2026 Grammy Awards’ Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media nomination list is drawing attention.
Despite dominating the Billboard Classical charts for ten weeks, Clair Obscur’s sweeping score was not included in this year’s nominations. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Star Wars Outlaws, and Helldivers 2 also secured places on the list.
Fans Are Demanding Answers
The omission feels particularly unexpected given its well-known music and composer Lorien Testard’s recent major game-music award win. It begs the question of what factors the Grammys consider most important when choosing nominees for this category.
The category itself made its debut in 2023, so it is still relatively new. The way that game scores are determined is coming under more and more scrutiny every year. As of right now, Clair Obscur’s exclusion has generated a lot of conversation among fans and industry watchers, indicating that video game music is still very popular.
