Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida advised the developers of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 against marketing it solely as a "turn-based RPG," expressing concern that the designation might cause the game to be "overlooked."
Yoshida, who previously led PlayStation's indie initiatives and worldwide studios, shared this insight during a lecture for independent game developers, as reported by 4Gamer and translated by Automaton. The advice was given to the team at Sandfall Interactive and its publisher, Kepler Interactive, ahead of the game's planned April 2025 launch.
"It’s incredibly well-made, but it would be better not to call it a turn-based RPG," Yoshida reportedly stated. "That alone might cause players to overlook it."
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has since garnered significant praise from both players and critics, achieving a 9/10 review from IGN and securing multiple accolades at major awards ceremonies including The Game Awards, BAFTA, and DICE. The developers themselves were reportedly surprised by the game's high critical reception.
Yoshida recognized the game's quality early on, noting its "combination of turn-based JRPG mechanics and real-time action inputs reminiscent of The Legend of Dragoon." However, he worried that the perception of turn-based JRPGs as potentially outdated could impact the game's success.
To mitigate this risk, Kepler Interactive adopted a marketing approach that highlighted the game's "reactive turn-based battles." This strategy appears to have been effective, as the game has achieved considerable commercial success. Yoshida also noted that he has observed an increase in publishers receiving pitches for new turn-based RPGs following Clair Obscur's positive reception.