Final Fantasy Producer Not Sure When Or If Mainline Series Will Return To Turn-Based Combat

The debate over the future of Final Fantasy, namely its approach to combat, continues, and this time the question has been put to Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki ‘Yoshi P’ Yoshida, who admitted there is no “clear-cut” answer.

Final Fantasy XVI was a radical departure from previous installments by being a completely real-time action game, even eschewing command menus present in the action-oriented Final Fantasy XV. During an interview at Anime Expo, Yoshida was asked whether the series would return to a turn-based system, given the recent success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which was in turn inspired by earlier Final Fantasy games and Persona.

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

Mainline numbered Final Fantasy games also tend to have completely different settings, characters, and gameplay systems, as well as work done on by different teams, with Yoshida emphasizing the latter. “[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.”

Final Fantasy 16 released on Xbox Series X|S last month, following its original launch on PS5 in 2023 and then its release on Steam last year. It marks a shift in Square Enix’s strategy to move away from console exclusives, with Final Fantasy Tactics: Ivalice Chronicles releasing in September for multiple platforms.