The game director decides the gameplay.
Naoki Hamaguchi, the game director responsible for the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy, recently addressed the success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 in a new interview and discussed whether it might influence Square Enix’s approach to the Final Fantasy series. Hamaguchi pointed out that, despite the game’s warm reception and the renewed interest in JRPGs, the company has no plans to predetermine whether the next mainline entry will be turn-based or lean more toward action.
For the numbered Final Fantasy titles, the design direction is determined by the game director’s decision. Whether the next entry will be action-oriented or a turn-based RPG hasn’t been settled. My priority is that players have fun — that remains the core objective.
Source: iXBT.games