In a recent interview, Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida said that the reason the game doesn’t have turn-based combat is to appeal to a younger generation.
Speaking to Famitsu (translations by VGC), Yoshida said that the team reassessed who Final Fantasy is for now.
The developer does know that more traditional RPGs can be fun, but obviously Final Fantasy 16 selling well is an important factor to consider.
“I’m from a generation that grew up with command and turn-based RPGs,” he said.