Final Fantasy has never been a franchise to stand still, but the arrival and subsequent success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has prompted many fans to question the series’ recent direction.

Indeed, now more than ever, Final Fantasy leans into action-based gameplay; Final Fantasy 16 is the obvious and most extreme example of this, but the likes of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Rebirth, and even 2016’s Final Fantasy 15 are a far cry from what the series used to be.

What’s more, the infamously hard-to-please publisher has repeatedly suggested that the commercial performance of these games — 16 and Rebirth in particular — has been below expectations.

Meanwhile, Clair Obscur, the new kid on the block and the debut release from Sandfall Interactive, has racked up a seriously impressive 3 million sales since its release back in April — and it’s pretty much the main frontrunner for Game of the Year.

Of course, Clair Obscur is a turn-based RPG with a very heavy emphasis on story and fantastical world building. For many, it encapsulates a lot of what Final Fantasy used to be — and now, the game’s being held aloft as an example of what Square Enix has perhaps been missing out on after all these years.

We don’t think it’s quite that cut and dry, but we can see the reasoning — and so can one of Square Enix’s investors. As translated by Genki, said investor asked the company for its opinion on Clair Obscur during a shareholders meeting, essentially questioning whether key properties like Final Fantasy could return to a more traditional turn-based structure.

In response, Square Enix said it was “aware” of Clair Obscur’s success, and that the company’s identity is still built on command-based RPGs. What’s more, the publisher plans on “delivering such games in the future”.