Final Fantasy Producer Cites Star Wars as a Key Inspiration for Characters and Mechanics in Franchise

Longtime Final Fantasy producer Yoshinori Kitase revealed to IGN that Star Wars was a big influence on the RPG franchise. When speaking with IGN's Michael Peyton at the Lucca Comics & Games Festival 2026, Kitase was asked how he felt about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 being heavily influenced by Final Fantasy. He admitted that he was really happy to see a game that was inspired by Square's RPG franchise have so much success, and that he himself is heavily inspired by other entertainment behemoths, too — namely Star Wars.