Actor Ben Starr used his acceptance speech for Best Supporting Performer at the Golden Joystick Awards to highlight ongoing layoffs in the video game industry. Starr, known for voicing Verso in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, praised developer Sandfall Interactive for respecting its workers amid the challenges. The event took place on November 20, 2025, in the UK.
Award Win and Speech Highlights
At the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards, a UK-based ceremony dating back to 1983, Ben Starr received the Best Supporting Performer award for his portrayal of Verso in Sandfall Interactive's turn-based RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The game, published by Bandai Namco and released on April 24, 2025, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series, blends fantasy with Belle Époque aesthetics and is available on Xbox Game Pass from launch.
Starr's speech balanced character analysis with industry critique. He described Verso as a flawed, polarizing figure, stating, “I think that is what this industry does best, it presents us with flawed characters that reflect the lives we have on the outside.” He then addressed layoffs, saying, “This industry is hard. We are celebrating today, astonishing video games, but there are many people who should be here who aren’t because they are laid off from the industry.” An audience member shouted, “Well said, Ben,” during the pause.
Starr commended Sandfall Interactive, noting, “Many people might criticize me for grandstanding right now, but the one thing that Sandfall do and have done is respect people that work for them. They respect the people that they are making games for, and they want to make them good.” This respect, he argued, contributed to the game's quality, featuring characters that players might even hate.
Game Context and Achievements
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 follows engineer Gustave (voiced by Charlie Cox) and his team as they confront the entity La Peintresse, who erases people yearly by age on a monolith. The game's combat draws from titles like Sea of Stars, with interactive turn-based elements and exploration via tools like a grappling hook.
The title secured seven Golden Joystick wins and holds the record for 12 nominations at the 2025 Game Awards. Starr's prior roles include Clive Rosfield in Final Fantasy XVI (2023) and the mascot in Balatro (2024), building his reputation for committed performances.