Creators of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Visit Square Enix

Some of the developers of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 visited the headquarters of Square Enix for a meeting with the Final Fantasy team. Naoki Hamaguchi, director of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, described the meeting as a "creative exchange of visions and ideas," at a time when turn-based combat is once again a relevant topic in the Final Fantasy series.

Discussion on Turn-based Combat and Success of Clair Obscur

The visit comes during a period of debate about the combat system in Final Fantasy. While the most recent games in the franchise have adopted real-time action, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 demonstrated the strong impact of turn-based combat mixed with real-time action, selling over 3.3 million copies in a short period.

During a meeting with shareholders, Square Enix acknowledged the value of turn-based combat and stated that they are attentive to the success of titles like Clair Obscur. However, Naoki Yoshida, producer of Final Fantasy XIV and XVI, emphasized that the combat system will always be defined by the creative vision of each project.

The meeting between the two studios does not imply immediate changes in future Final Fantasy games, but suggests an openness to sharing ideas that may influence the upcoming titles of the acclaimed series. Representatives from Sandfall Interactive (Guillaume Broche, Francois Meurisse, Tom Guillermin) and Kepler Interactive (Alexis Garavaryan) were present at the meeting.

The exchange of ideas between the creators of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and the Final Fantasy team may indicate a possible return to more traditional turn-based combat in the Final Fantasy franchise, or will Square Enix simply seek to integrate successful elements from independent games into their future productions?