Rhys Elliott, an analyst at Alinea Analytics, believes that the performance of Final Fantasy: Echoes and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 demonstrates significant market demand for turn-based JRPGs. This may lead Square Enix to reconsider developing large-scale turn-based Final Fantasy titles in the future.
Final Fantasy: Echoes is a new turn-based title featuring HD-2D graphics. Upon release, it surpassed Final Fantasy VII Rebirth to become the single-player Final Fantasy game with the highest peak concurrent players on Steam.
Elliott estimates that Final Fantasy: Echoes has sold 400,000 copies across PC, PS5, and XSX|S platforms, generating $20 million in revenue, with figures not yet including the Switch 2 version. He believes that the series' previous shift towards more action-oriented gameplay may have alienated some JRPG fans, a view further reinforced by the success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
However, development of Final Fantasy: Echoes began before Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was announced, so it was not a direct response to the latter's success. Elliott predicts that Square Enix will pursue a multi-pronged strategy in the future, spanning online multiplayer titles, high-spec remakes, major mainline entries, HD-2D original games, and remasters, while a large-scale turn-based Final Fantasy remains an unfilled gap in their product lineup.