Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Director Keeps Square Enix on Course Despite Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Hype, Prioritizing What Fans Want
Clair Obscur is surging, but Final Fantasy isn't flinching—the upstart's breakout buzz has yet to dent the genre's standard-bearer.
Quick gaming detour: a turn-based JRPG just lit up the internet, and yes, Square Enix noticed. But if you were hoping that means Final Fantasy is about to snap back to its old-school ways, pump the brakes.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 cracked the code by going all-in on classic JRPG comfort food: deliberate, turn-based combat, a slick world to explore, and a glorious mess of menus. It feels closer to Persona or Phantasy Star than the recent big-budget action-first trend, and the wave of enthusiasm around it suggests plenty of players still want that style. Especially when you stack it against where Final Fantasy has been heading for a while now: more real-time, more spectacle, less waiting your turn.
Square Enix is aware. In a new chat with TheGamer, Naoki Hamaguchi — the director shepherding the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy — made it clear they saw how Expedition 33 landed. But he also made something else clear: there is no hard pivot in the works.
"For the numbered Final Fantasy games, the director decides the design. For the next one, whether it is action or turn-based has not been decided yet," Hamaguchi told TheGamer. "I am thinking about what game experience fans will enjoy. That is the most important point."
Translation: no company-wide decree to go back to turn-based. Hamaguchi even floated that his next project could be an RPG — emphasis on could — but he is not promising a return to classic turn order. Also worth noting, and a little behind-the-scenes: each mainline Final Fantasy really does follow its director’s tastes, not a set template. So whatever is next is going to be shaped by whoever is in the chair.
And to be fair, the action push has not bombed with fans or critics. Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth were applauded for their presentation and hybrid mechanics, and Final Fantasy 16 reviewed well too. So it is not like players are rejecting the direction outright.
As for the idea that JRPGs are "back"? That is a catchy headline, but it ignores the steady climb of series like Persona and Yakuza, plus the constant drip of re-releases and remasters — most recently Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles. The genre did not disappear; it just was not at its 90s peak for a while.
What Expedition 33 changes is the competitive pressure. Sandfall Entertainment made a very convincing case that there is room — and appetite — for a big, beautiful, unapologetically turn-based epic in 2025. Whether Square Enix leans into that or keeps charting the action course is up to them.
Oh, and if you are still roaming Clair Obscur’s world: the director says there are still a few secrets left to uncover. Happy hunting.