Former PlayStation Boss Warned Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Devs That 'Turn-Based RPG' Label Might Scare Players Off

Shuhei Yoshida, former head of PlayStation's indie division and president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, cautioned the team behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 against branding it as a 'turn-based RPG,' fearing that label alone could cause gamers to overlook the title. Yoshida, who stepped down in 2024, shared this advice during a recent lecture for indie developers, as reported by 4Gamer and translated by Automaton. He told the developers at Kepler Interactive, ahead of the game's April 2025 launch, 'It's incredibly well-made, but it would be better not to call it a turn-based RPG. That alone might cause players to overlook it.' Despite these concerns, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 went on to receive critical acclaim, including a 9/10 from IGN, and swept awards at The Game Awards, BAFTA, DICE, and IGN's own shows. The game's success was so overwhelming that even its developers at Sandfall Interactive were taken aback by its high Metacritic score. Yoshida had recognized the game's quality early on, praising its blend of turn-based JRPG mechanics with real-time action inputs reminiscent of The Legend of Dragoon. However, he worried that the perception of turn-based JRPGs as outdated might hinder its appeal. To counter this, Kepler Interactive marketed the game as featuring 'reactive turn-based battles' instead, a strategy that paid off handsomely. The game became a massive sales success, even launching near The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. Yoshida noted a subsequent increase in publishers receiving pitches for new turn-based RPGs. As for what's next, fans eagerly await Yoshida's future projects and Sandfall's next moves, while discussions about the resurgence of turn-based RPGs continue to gain momentum.