Former PlayStation lead Shuhei Yoshida warned the builders behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 about calling it a “turn-based RPG” as a result of “that alone may trigger gamers to miss it.”
Yoshida, who served as PlayStation’s head of indies and president of Sony Interactive Leisure Worldwide Studios earlier than stepping down in 2024, spoke about some key recommendation he gave the award-winning group throughout a latest lecture for indie sport builders. Parts of that lecture have been then reported by 4Gamer and subsequently translated by Automaton, together with one piece of recommendation he gave to writer Kepler Interactive whereas advising the group forward of its April 2025 launch.
“It’s extremely well-made, however it could be higher to not name it a turn-based RPG,” Yoshida warned the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 devs. “That alone may trigger gamers to miss it.”
However why? Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 went on to obtain reward from followers and critics (together with a 9/10 assessment from IGN), whereas ending its already explosive yr with huge wins throughout The Sport Awards, BAFTA, DICE, and IGN award exhibits. Its optimistic reception was so intense that even the builders at Sandfall Interactive weren’t ready for its towering Metacritic rating.
Yoshida acknowledged Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as a high quality launch lengthy earlier than it reached the fingers of the general public. He was impressed early on, calling consideration to its “mixture of turn-based JRPG mechanics and real-time motion inputs paying homage to The Legend of Dragoon.” The issue, nevertheless, was that, on the time, he was involved its success might be affected by what he noticed to be a tendency for turn-based JRPGs to be seen as outdated.
Sport-award-winning system or not, Yoshida feared Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 could be ignored by some avid gamers if they noticed that “turn-based” label. As a outcome, Kepler bought inventive and as an alternative began promoting Sandfall’s first sport as an expertise with “reactive turn-based battles” as an alternative, and the remainder is historical past.
The sport, after all, went on to change into a huge gross sales success regardless of its proximity to the launch of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. Yoshida mentioned he is since observed an uptick in reviews from publishers receiving pitches for brand new turn-based RPGs.
Whereas we wait to see what’s subsequent from Yoshida and Sandfall, you’ll be able to see why the builders behind Closing Fantasy Resonance assume turn-based RPGs are making a enormous comeback. You may also learn the devs’ dialog about canon endings and the author who bought their begin at Sandfall.
Michael Cripe is a freelance author with IGN. He is greatest recognized for his work at websites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be certain to provide him a comply with on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).