Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida has commented on the possible turn-based future of the series, following the recent success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Over the course of the series, Final Fantasy games have moved away from classic turn-based battles and progressed towards the all-action gameplay of 2023’s Final Fantasy 16, which disappointed some long-term fans.
By contrast, Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur, released earlier this year, features an action twist on turn-based battles and has become something of an exemplary talisman for RPG fans hoping Square Enix’s series will return to its roots.
Now, in a recent interview at the Anime Expo 2025, Yoshida (also director and producer of MMORPG Final Fantasy 14) was asked what the success of Clair Obscur could mean for the future of Final Fantasy.
“With this question of turn-based versus action, it tends to isolate the gameplay to just the battle system,” he told Anime News Network. “That doesn’t take into account what kind of game the creators want to deliver to players. For example, based on a certain graphical quality we want to present to our players, or the narrative we want to deliver to our players, it relates to how we set up the game’s systems around it. This includes the battle system, game design, and gameplay feel.
“It’s not a clear-cut answer, whether it will become all turn-based, or if it’s going to become more action-based.”
He added: “[I’m] not necessarily going to be on Final Fantasy 17, so we also don’t want to obstruct or limit our future director or whomever will be producing the games like 17 or even 18. We don’t want to put them on a rail.”