Final Fantasy 14 director and producer Naoki Yoshida recently shared a statement on the modding controversy sparked by the takedown of Mare Syncronos, citing clear examples of plugins he thinks are and are not acceptable. Essentially, as long as Final Fantasy 14 mods are for personal use, do not impact the game or its services, and are used responsibly by the individual, Yoshida is not going to track down players who choose to use them.
Recently, a popular Final Fantasy 14 mod called Mare Syncronos, which aimed to share modified visual plugin loadouts between clients, was taken down after Square Enix served its lead developer a legal inquiry for violating the game's terms of service. This led to some significant fan outcry, with users review bombing Final Fantasy 14 on Steam, bringing the game's recent average to Mixed.
Yoshi-P's Stance on Final Fantasy 14 Mods Explained
Now, Naoki “Yoshi-P” Yoshida has finally shared his own thoughts on the matter, both as a long-time gamer, and as director and producer of Final Fantasy 14. In an extensive blog post, Yoshi-P said that, while all third-party tools are technically against the critically-acclaimed MMORPG’s terms of service, on a personal level, he understands the benefits of certain mods, and is willing to tolerate their presence, so long as they adhere to the following rules:
The mod is made for personal use only, and does not infringe upon others. The individual player is responsible for the mods they download and use. The mod does not negatively impact the core game, its services, or the intended game design. Yoshi-P went on to provide examples of hypothetical situations that would and would not be acceptable in his opinion. If a fan were to use a mod to allow them to visually wield gear that is difficult to obtain, or purchased from the cash shop, he does not see an inherent problem with it – unless other players could see it as well. This creates a circumstance where those who have earned or purchased these items may feel like their accomplishments or expenditures have been diminished. The latter example would also infringe upon game services by encouraging fans to use this theoretical mod instead of purchasing items from the Final Fantasy 14 cash shop.
Another poignant example was one that allows players to display their characters nude. Given the recent push towards censoring video games on Steam and similar platforms, Yoshi-P would not want such mods to draw similar legal measures to Final Fantasy 14.
All together, Yoshi-P has sent a clear message: as long as these rules are followed, Final Fantasy 14 is not going to hunt down players or mods to ban them. Hopefully, these guidelines can help provide clarity and avoid further modding controversy in the Final Fantasy 14 community.
