Former PlayStation lead Shuhei Yoshida warned the developers behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 about calling it a “turn-based RPG” because “that alone might cause players to overlook it.”
Yoshida, who served as PlayStation’s head of indies and president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios before stepping down in 2024, spoke about some key advice he gave the award-winning team during a recent lecture for indie game developers. Portions of that lecture were then reported by 4Gamer and subsequently translated by Automaton, including one piece of advice he gave to publisher Kepler Interactive while advising the team ahead of its April 2025 launch.
“It’s incredibly well-made, but it would be better not to call it a turn-based RPG,” Yoshida warned the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 devs. “That alone might cause players to overlook it.”
But why? Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 went on to receive praise from fans and critics (including a 9/10 review from IGN), while ending its already explosive year with big wins across The Game Awards, BAFTA, DICE, and IGN award shows. Its positive reception was so intense that even the developers at Sandfall Interactive weren’t prepared for its towering Metacritic score.
Yoshida acknowledged Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as a quality release long before it reached the hands of the public. He was impressed early on, calling attention to its “combination of turn-based JRPG mechanics and real-time action inputs reminiscent of The Legend of Dragoon.” The problem, however, was that, at the time, he was concerned its success could be affected by what he observed to be a tendency for turn-based JRPGs to be seen as outdated.
Game-award-winning formula or not, Yoshida feared Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 would be ignored by some gamers if they saw that “turn-based” label. As a result, Kepler got creative and instead started selling Sandfall’s first game as an experience with “reactive turn-based battles” instead, and the rest is history.
The game, of course, went on to become a massive sales success despite its proximity to the launch of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. Yoshida said he’s since noticed an uptick in reports from publishers receiving pitches for new turn-based RPGs.
While we wait to see what’s next from Yoshida and Sandfall, you can see why the developers behind Final Fantasy Resonance think turn-based RPGs are making a huge comeback. You can also read the devs’ conversation about canon endings and the writer who got their start at Sandfall.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
