The FFXIV mod that reveals character information prompts Square Enix to consider legal action

A new FFXIV mod surfaced earlier in January 2025 that had potentially serious repercussions for player privacy in the MMO game, and Square Enix is considering equally serious responses. The mod, PlayerScope, makes it easier for people to follow and potentially harass other players, even after they’ve been blocked, and a recent change in how Square Enix handles blocking in FFXIV is partly behind the issue.

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FFXIV previously blocked individual characters, not entire accounts, but Square Enix changed that when Dawntrail launched. It now blocks an entire account ID. Theoretically, that means a potential harasser can’t see their target regardless of which character either person is using. However, FFXIV still gathers player data for everyone active on a server at a given time. It just doesn’t show you someone you’ve blocked or let them see you. This mod scraped player ID data from the server, added account IDs and character names in a database the mod creator compiled, and made that information visible to anyone using the tool – and targeted harassment much easier to carry out.

Mods of all kinds technically violate Final Fantasy XIV’s terms of service, and Yoshida has asked several times in the past for folks to just stop using them. Most of them are harmless – things such as letting Viera wear hats, which FFXIV still won’t allow, or giving characters new outfits. There’s spicy stuff, because of course there is, and mods to help keep track of what’s going on in some of FFXIV’s more hectic battles. Even speedrunners trying to clear new raids early get caught and disqualified for using mods. Bans are selective, though, since most of these don’t harm other people.

Some player reports, which I verified before publication, pointed to information from PlayerScope being shared in groups whose members would vote whether they’d like to murder or assault the person if they had the chance.

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FFXIV director Naoki Yoshida posted a short message on the Square Enix forums acknowledging player concerns and briefly outlining the company’s potential response. Yoshida said Square Enix is requesting the tool’s removal and will consider legal action against its creator.

People using the mod can see when other players log in to the game and where they go. However, Yoshida said concerns that the mod also showed personal information such as addresses and payment information were unfounded, as Square Enix verified that there is no way to access that data with third-party tools.