Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 developers recently went to Japan, where, alongside Hideo Kojima, they met with Square Enix – and received what might just be the highest form of praise from a JRPG veteran.
The adventure starts with a post from Final Fantasy 7 Remake director and studio head Naoki Hamaguchi, who writes about Sandfall Interactive and Kepler Interactive both visiting Square Enix in Tokyo: "Guillaume Broche, Francois Meurisse, Tom Guillermin from Sandfall, and Alexis Garavaryan from Kepler – creators of Expedition 33 – visited the Square Enix office for a creatively rich exchange of visions and ideas."
Guillaume Broche, Francois Meurisse, Tom Guillermin from Sandfall, and Alexis Garavaryan from Kepler—creators of EXPEDITION 33—visited the Square Enix office for a creatively rich exchange of visions and ideas.-EXPEDITION 33のクリエイターであるSandfallのGuillaume… pic.twitter.com/hIhMNYZJ8cJuly 24, 2025
Attached to Hamaguchi's words is a picture of all the devs posing together in the Square Enix headquarters next to a cardboard cutout of Cloud Strife – a truly fitting moment for the Clair Obscur team, who have previously said their game was inspired by JRPG gems such as Final Fantasy 10 and Persona 5. Hamaguchi isn't the only genre legend with something positive to say about the French studio after meeting them overseas, however.
Ryosuke Yoshida, the director behind Visions of Mana and an industry veteran with credits in beloved games like Devil May Cry 5, has shared his own post and photo with the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 devs. "I enjoyed dinner with everyone at Sandfall Interactive," states Yoshida, "who made my favorite game, 'Expedition 33.'" That's right – the mastermind himself calls the 2025 turn-based RPG his "favorite game," the ultimate compliment.
I enjoyed dinner with everyone at Studio Sandfall, who made my favorite game, "EXPENDITION33." Guillaume Broche, Francois Meurisse, Tom Guillermin, and Alexis Garavaryan from Kepler, and my boss, Hamaguchi-san. Thank you for the wonderful time!… pic.twitter.com/RrY0iogoOcJuly 24, 2025
Yoshida continues, naming everyone who attended the dinner – including Hamaguchi: "Guillaume Broche, Francois Meurisse, Tom Guillermin, and Alexis Garavaryan from Kepler, and my boss, Hamaguchi-san." He concludes, "Thank you for the wonderful time!"
It's one of the most wholesome meetups between devs I've ever seen myself, and in my opinion, the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 team is more than deserving of it.
Playing the new RPG yourself? Here are our best Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 tips to read if you're diving in.
