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Clair Obscur Expedition 33 is an absolute marvel that has shook the gaming industry. No one expected it be so good, but it’s already the leading contender for game-of-the-year, with its impact regarded as an example proving AAA publishers wrong. Its success is impossible to ignore, and even Square Enix have acknowledged Clair Obscur Expedition 33 as an inspiration for the future of Final Fantasy.
Square Enix highlights Clair Obscur Expedition 33 as inspiration for Final Fantasy
On X, a user named yuzz_ was part of a recent Square Enix shareholder meeting as an investor. Their original post on social media is entirely in Japanese, so there may be some slight inaccuracies with automatic translation, but they discussed wanting Final Fantasy to be turn-based again.
The investor said, “I had the opportunity to speak, so I expressed the opinion that I would like new releases of Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy to alternate… Additionally, I expressed the desire for new Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy titles to be command-based RPGs, explaining this by referencing the shift in direction from FF16 and the success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which gained attention in 2025”.
Final Fantasy 16 was a lot more action-oriented than previous Final Fantasy instalments, with its combat compared to action games such as Devil May Cry. Unfortunately, Square Enix stated that sales for FF16 did not meet their expectations, and, amongst many fans, reactions were divisive due to the extreme change in gameplay.
Yuzz_ said that Square Enix’s response “was that the next three years of the medium-term plan will focus on delivering truly interesting games to users… [with] many titles, including mid-tier ones”.
Regarding the desire for Final Fantasy to return to traditional turn-based combat, Square Enix said “they are aware of Expedition 33 and consider command-based RPGs to be Square Enix’s origin and foundation”. For Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, Square Enix insisted “They value the command-based RPG genre and plan to continue delivering games in this style in the future”. For fans disappointed by FF16, this is fantastic news as it means Square Enix intend to return the series to the command-based formula it made popular.
The next mainline FF installment will be the conclusion to the FF7 Remake trilogy in possibly 2027. After that, here’s hoping the mainline FF games do return to its more traditional turn-based roots as both Persona and Clair Obscur Expedition 33 show that turn-based gameplay can still cater to the masses and leave room for innovation.
While Square Enix are inspired by Clair Obscur Expedition 33 and see its success as a reason to continue making command-based RPGs, Final Fantasy 17 is still years away with no news about it. However, for fans craving a return to turn-based combat, there are heavy rumors of a remake for the beloved FF9.
In other gaming news, the developers of Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader have praised the incredible job by Larian on Baldur’s Gate 3.
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