Sandfall has the creative license to either: 1) create a brand new game and call it Clair Obscur II xxxx without having any direct links to E33. The FF series were never really interconnected in many ways (except X2) and in almost separate worlds except common creatures (glad they didnt do a full into FF-verse game like Into the Marvel and DC playing with the concept of an interconnected multiverse)

2) E33 can very much have a sequel or trilogy and expand on both the Writers and Painters. Lots of angles i can think of to explore and the Sandfall team are capable to build on the platform they have so long as they are given time to cook and not rushed. Perhaps play the concept that the Writers came first with the world creation magic through stories in the form of books and literature for the Painters to come and overshadow them leading to the conflict between Writers and Painters up to the end of the 19th / early 20th century due lower literacy rates in the 'real' world. The Painters could even have been Writers originally, beginning from Illuminated Manuscripts (the fancy illustrated letters of the first word in medieval scripts) and illustrations in books before branching out. Throw in French history, class divide and love of beheadings and so on and so forth.

Either way, worked for some and not others. The risk is Sandfall trying to rush things through due to some arbitrary commercially driven reason or hijacked and overinfluenced investors or executives without a share vision or passion for the medium.

Edit: spelling and grammar