Former PlayStation head Shuhei Yoshida is a big fan of acclaimed JRPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and he hopes its successful formula becomes the template for more game development going forward.
Despite launching in Oblivion Remastered's massive shadow, Clair Obscur has been massively successful both in terms of critical and player reviews and sales, proving there's more than enough room in the industry for two big RPGs to co-exist and thrive underneath similar spotlights.
Part of its attraction can be attributed to its wallet-friendly, $50 price tag, especially as $80 Nintendo and Xbox games loom, but Yoshida argues the game's AAA ambition combined with its lean budget and indie vision also contributed to its success.
Talking to PlayStation Inside, Yoshida echoed a growing sentiment among people who play games and also want to do other things in life: "Personally, I'm starting to lose interest in overly long AAA games because you never see the end of them!"
Clair Obscur, he says, is an example of a game that has all of the depth of a big AAA game, but with the freedom of expression and creativity that comes with a more independent release.
"I think, for example, that a game like Clair Obscur strikes the perfect balance between the ambition of a AAA game, a AA budget and studio, and an independent vision," he says. "All this combined, at an affordable price and with a respectable lifespan, will make it a great game, and this is the path the industry should be pursuing. It's a game developed by only 33 people, which is incredible! I hope the game gets the success it deserves, because it's time for AA games to regain their market share."
Taking aim at pricing more directly, Yoshida reiterates that the cost of games is rising because development costs are rising. However, this isn't the only way for games to be made. He examines the gradient between productions like Clair Obscur and behemoths such as GTA 6, which is now coming in May 2026.
"In any case, a balance must be found between production costs and game prices," he says. "GTA 6 will obviously be a case in point, but if you take the example of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the game is just as phenomenal visually, despite the fact that the team only has around thirty people. This is one of the ways forward, I think, because you can make excellent games with tighter teams and budgets without compromising quality."
Yoshida has been doing the media circuit for a number of weeks now, and it seems the AA space has been on his mind for a while. Last month, he argued AA games are becoming a rare breed because they're simultaneously too big and too small, saying "no one funds the $8M game."
After years of despising JRPGs, Clair Obscur has finally brought me around by ditching the standard cast of tedious teenagers.
