Summary
Square Enixis aware of the PlayerScope plugin and is considering legal action to stop it from being used inFinal Fantasy 14. This comes afterplayers raised concerns over how the plugin can collect account data, leading to fears that this information will be shared without consent.
In astatement, Naoki Yoshida - often called Yoshi-P by fans - addresses how Square Enix will tackle the use of this mod. Here, he confirms that it is indeed being used to collect data that should not be visible to other players, and is requesting that the mod is “removed and deleted”. Failing that, he says that Square Enix will consider “pursuing legal action”.
Yoshi-P Issues A Statement On The PlayerScope Plugin
It comes after players were worried that the mod would be used by stalkers
“We have confirmed that there exist third-party tools that are being used to check FFXIV character information that is not displayed during normal game play,” says Yoshi-P. “The tool is being used to display a segment of an FFXIV 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.”
While Square Enix tries to get the mod taken down, players are asked to not use PlayerScope or similar plugins. Yoshi-P also reassures players that personal information attached to a Square Enix account, such as payment information, is not accessible through PlayerScope.
However, PlayerScope can access the names of all characters and retainers associated with an account, as well as details on their gameplay activity, like where they’ve been and when they’ve logged in. Many feel that this is a huge overreach for third-party software, and have raised concerns that it will be used by stalkers. Worse yet, if players don’t want their information to be collected, they need to opt-out by joining the mod’s Discord server.
It remains to be seen if the mod is taken offline, or if Square Enix has to take further action. In the statement, Yoshi-P reminds players that any use of third-party software is against Final Fantasy 14’s terms and conditions, so it’s no surprise that one that players feel threatened by is attracting Square Enix’s ire.
