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Why the Final Fantasy game franchise doesn't do turn-based combat anymore despite Claire Obscur: Expedition 33's sales success

What will it take for Final Fantasy to return to its turn-based combat roots? It all depends on the story they want to tell in the inevitable sequel.

Final Fantasy XVI Screenshot — Image credit: Square Enix

News by Trent Cannon, Senior Contributing writer

Published on Wed Jul 09 2025

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For the first time in years, the biggest title in JRPGs isn’t a Final Fantasy title. It isn’t even from Japan; Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has proven to be the game that couldn’t be held back by a little thing like the Elder Scrolls: Oblivion remake launching the same day. It has sold more than 3 million copies, proving that there is still an appetite for turn-based combat. Despite that, it doesn’t sound like Square Enix is going to shift the Final Fantasy series back to turn-based combat.

The reason, it seems, is that the developers are trying to make different games today than the classic Final Fantasy games of yore. In a recent interview, Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida was asked if the success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 made them want to return Final Fantasy to its turn-based combat roots. He swiftly sidestepped the issue by explaining that it all boils down to what kind of game the developer is trying to make.

“With this question of turn-based versus action, it tends to isolate the gameplay to just the battle system. 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.”

So Square Enix knows that we want more turn-based games; the problem is that they’re not as interested in making them as they used to be. Maybe with the inevitable Final Fantasy XVII, they’ll find a story that needs a slower combat system, but for now, action seems to be the way forward.

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