Broche explains why a JRPG plot hits harder for him than Skyrim

On 29 July 2026, in an Automaton interview, Broche explained why Japanese RPGs sit closer to him than The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Fallout and Baldur's Gate.

In a Western role-playing game, he says, the player writes the history: choices move the plot, the relationships and the ending, and the player becomes the main face. Broche values an authored line more. Heroes written in advance, and the road they take, make a stronger story than an empty avatar the user assembles.

Freedom of choice is, for him, the divide. JRPG decisions show up, and the thread still runs from start to finish on the authors’ plan. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was built on that frame, grown out of classic Japanese role-playing games.