Square Enix considering legal action against use of a third-party tool in Final Fantasy 14, says Naoki Yoshida

Final Fantasy 14 producer and director Naoki Yoshida has once again warned players not to use third-party tools in the MMORPG.

In particular, there is one tool being used to check in-game character information not displayed during gameplay, which Square Enix is considering taking legal action over.

In a post on Final Fantasy 14 forum The Lodestone, Yoshida stated the development team is aware of this tool and concerns raised by the community.

“The tool is being used to display a segment of an FF14 character’s internal account ID, which is then used in an attempt to further correlate information on other characters on the same FFXIV service account,” explained Yoshida.

As a result, Square Enix is discussing requesting the tool be removed and deleted, as well as pursuing legal action.

Yoshida further assured players personal information is not accessible through this tool.

“Aside from character information that can be checked in-game and on the Lodestone, we have received concerns that personal information registered on a user’s Square Enix account, such as address and payment information, could also be exposed with this tool,” he said. “Please rest assured that it is not possible to access this information using these third-party tools.”

He continued: “We strive to offer and maintain a safe environment for our players, which is why we ask everyone to refrain from using third-party tools. We also ask that players do not share information about third-party tools such as details about their installation methods, or take any other actions to assist in their dissemination.”

Lastly, Yoshida reiterated that third-party tools are prohibited in Final Fantasy 14, concluding: “We will continue to take a firm stance against their usage.”

It’s a line Yoshida has repeatedly stated, despite some players using third-party tools and mods in the game.

Back in November last year, the Ultimate Raid world first challenge was disrupted for the third year in a row due to cheaters using a tool to highlight a character’s exact hitbox.

“As the individual who is entrusted with full supervision over Final Fantasy 14, it is my responsibility to enact countermeasures and police the use of these tools, as well as educate people to not use these types of third-party tools – this is especially unfortunate when I, as a gamer, am cheering on everyone who is learning this content by trial and error and putting in the effort to clear,” said Yoshida after the previous year’s challenge was similarly disrupted.