At the Busan Indie Connect Festival 2026 in South Korea, held from August 14 to 16, former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida addressed indie game developers, sharing valuable insights on selecting a publisher and effectively pitching their games (as reported by 4Gamer). During his presentation, Yoshida also recounted personal experiences as an advisor to publishers, including Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 publisher Kepler Interactive.
When questioned about how much game publishers focus on chasing trends, Yoshida explained that it varies depending on whether a publisher acquires nearly finished games or develops projects from the ground up over several years. Publishers that pick up near-complete games tend to be more trend-driven, whereas those building projects from scratch are less concerned with current trends, as what’s popular at the start of development may be outdated by launch.
Yoshida used the development of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to illustrate this point. As an advisor to Kepler Interactive, he played the game’s demo about two years before its release. He was notably impressed by the combat system, which he described as a “blend of turn-based JRPG mechanics and real-time action inputs similar to The Legend of Dragoon” (a game he produced).
Despite his admiration for the gameplay, Yoshida noted that turn-based JRPGs were often dismissed as outdated at the time. He advised Sandfall Interactive, the developers, to avoid labeling the game as such. “It’s incredibly well-made, but it would be better not to call it a turn-based RPG. That alone might cause players to overlook it.” As a result, the branding was revised to terms like “reactive turn-based battles.”
Following Expedition 33’s unexpected success, Yoshida mentioned that publishers have since received numerous pitches for turn-based RPGs. He views this as a clear example that success is not guaranteed by simply following market trends.