Final Fantasy 17's combat system may be overhauled following Expedition 33's success

Fans hoping for Final Fantasy to return to its classic turn-based roots might want to temper their expectations for now. Final Fantasy 16 producer and director of Final Fantasy 14, Naoki Yoshida, discussed the future of the series’ battle system at Anime Expo 2025. The conversation kicked off as a result of Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Yoshida offered a nuanced perspective when pondering the debate between action and turn-based combat. He told Anime News Network:

“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 games’ systems around it. This includes the battle system, game design, and gameplay feel.”

He further answered with uncertainty, “It’s not a clear-cut answer, whether it will become all turn-based, or if it’s going to become more action-based.”

Yoshida further stated that Final Fantasy 17’s direction is yet to be decided, as he may not be involved in its development:

“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 whoever will be producing the games like 16 or 18. We don’t want to put them on a rail.”

Publisher Square Enix, in a rare admission, stated that Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth “did not meet expectations. Final Fantasy 16 was released in 2023 and delved deep into action-based combat, drawing inspiration from Game of Thrones, Attack on Titan, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Godzilla. While some fans praised the ambitious Eikon battles and combat system, others felt the void left by turn-based combat.

In contrast, Final Fantasy 7 Remake attempts to bridge the gap between its turn-based origins and a real-time combat system.

Meanwhile, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 took a modern take on turn-based mechanics, including parrying and dodging. Square Enix has acknowledged Expedition 33’s success. However, Yoshida’s statement suggests that the company is cautious about chasing trends or reverting to older formulas simply because of Sandall Interactive’s success.

For now, the future of Final Fantasy is unwritten. It’s unclear if Final Fantasy 17 will go turn-based or double down on action-based combat. Creatives over at Square Enix will likely aim to chart a new path, as has been the case over the years.