Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Director Reflects on Turn Based RPG Stigma

In an interview with Automaton, Clair Obscur creative director Guillaume Broche spoke about the ongoing bias against turn-based RPGs. While Expedition 33 and games like Persona have found success, he doesn’t believe they represent a full genre revival.

“I could talk about the prejudice forever,” Broche said with a laugh. “Japanese turn-based RPGs were super popular up until the Xbox 360 era. But around the time open-world games gained traction in gaming media, turn-based ones started being seen as ‘uncool’.”

Although major franchises still sell well, Broche feels the stigma hasn’t disappeared. “Persona proves the genre still has power, but I don’t think the prejudice is completely gone,” he added.

Mechanics Reflect Design, Not Fan Service

Broche also addressed the game’s parry and dodge systems. He clarified that these mechanics weren’t added to win over players who dislike turn-based RPGs. The team included them simply because they wanted to.

“It’s not like we added the parry system to dodge criticism,” he explained. “We did it because we thought it made the experience better.”

Sandfall Has No Plans to Grow

Lead programmer Tom Guillermin also shared insight on Sandfall Interactive’s future. Despite the studio’s recent success, he said they have no plans to expand the team.

“For now, I’d rather work in a small team,” said Guillermin. “I don’t know what the ideal size is, but for a full-priced turn-based RPG, our current team feels just right.”

3.3 Million Copies in 33 Days

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 reached a surprising milestone, selling 3.3 million copies just 33 days after launch. The number was so on-brand that Sandfall had to confirm it wasn’t a joke.

The game even caught the attention of Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima. He praised the studio’s tight team structure, calling it “ideal” for game development.

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