'It's Incredibly Well-Made, But…' — Former PlayStation Boss Warned Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Devs It Would Be 'Overlooked' if They Called It a Turn-Based RPG

Former PlayStation pb Shuhei Yoshida warned the developers down Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 astir calling it a "turn-based RPG" due to the fact that "that unsocial mightiness origin players to place it."

Yoshida, who served arsenic PlayStation's caput of indies and president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios earlier stepping down successful 2024, spoke astir immoderate cardinal proposal helium gave the award-winning squad during a caller lecture for indie crippled developers. Portions of that lecture were past reported by 4Gamer and subsequently translated by Automaton, including 1 portion of proposal helium gave to steadfast Kepler Interactive portion advising the squad up of its April 2025 launch.

"It’s incredibly well-made, but it would beryllium amended not to telephone it a turn-based RPG," Yoshida warned the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 devs. "That unsocial mightiness origin players to place it."

But why? Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 went connected to person praise from fans and critics (including a 9/10 reappraisal from IGN), portion ending its already explosive twelvemonth with large wins crossed The Game Awards, BAFTA, DICE, and IGN grant shows. Its affirmative reception was truthful aggravated that adjacent the developers astatine Sandfall Interactive weren't prepared for its towering Metacritic score.

Yoshida acknowledged Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 arsenic a prime merchandise agelong earlier it reached the hands of the public. He was impressed aboriginal on, calling attraction to its "combination of turn-based JRPG mechanics and real-time enactment inputs reminiscent of The Legend of Dragoon." The problem, however, was that, astatine the time, helium was acrophobic its occurrence could beryllium affected by what helium observed to beryllium a inclination for turn-based JRPGs to beryllium seen arsenic outdated.

Game-award-winning look oregon not, Yoshida feared Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 would beryllium ignored by immoderate gamers if they saw that "turn-based" label. As a result, Kepler got originative and alternatively started selling Sandfall's archetypal crippled arsenic an acquisition with "reactive turn-based battles" instead, and the remainder is history.

The game, of course, went connected to go a monolithic income occurrence contempt its proximity to the motorboat of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. Yoshida said he's since noticed an uptick successful reports from publishers receiving pitches for caller turn-based RPGs.

While we hold to spot what's adjacent from Yoshida and Sandfall, you tin spot wherefore the developers down Final Fantasy Resonance deliberation turn-based RPGs are making a immense comeback. You tin besides work the devs' speech astir canon endings and the writer who got their commencement astatine Sandfall.

Michael Cripe is simply a freelance writer with IGN. He's champion known for his enactment astatine sites similar The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be definite to springiness him a travel connected Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).