Square Enix Strengthens Anti-Harassment Policy with Legal Action

Square Enix Takes Stand Against Harassment: "Legal Action" Now on the Table
Loading up Final Fantasy XIV these days, you might notice something different in the air - not in Eorzea itself, but in how Square Enix is approaching community interactions. The gaming giant just dropped a major update to its harassment policy, and this time they're not pulling any punches. The new policy reads like a direct response to some pretty rough moments in recent gaming history.

Remember when Final Fantasy XIV voice actress behind Wuk Lamat faced waves of harassment just for being who she is? Or when FFXIV producer Naoki Yoshida had to step in during a Live Letter broadcast, practically pleading with players to dial back the heat on his dev team? "I can take the criticism," Yoshida said during that January 2022 broadcast, "but please, be kinder to the other developers." The weight in his voice said everything about what his team had been dealing with.

Square Enix's updated policy gets specific about what crosses the line. We're talking everything from straight-up threats of violence to discriminatory attacks based on race or gender. Spam the support team too many times or demand apologies over every little thing? That could get your account flagged. Square Enix isn't taking half measures either - cross the line with their staff and you might find yourself locked out of Final Fantasy XIV or any other Square Enix game. Period. For the really serious cases, they're ready to take it to court. This isn't coming out of nowhere.

The gaming industry's been dealing with a wave of developer harassment that's gotten way out of hand. Just last month, Palworld's artists at Pocketpair were getting death threats. Before that, an Android PS2 emulator developer straight-up quit after similar threats. It's the kind of thing that makes you wonder why anyone would want to make games at all. Will Square Enix's hardline stance actually change things? Hard to say. But after seeing Yoshida's face during that Live Letter, watching the Wuk Lamat situation unfold, and all the other incidents we never even hear about - something had to give.

For a company that's built its reputation on epic stories about heroes standing up against darkness, Square Enix is finally drawing a line in the sand about how we treat the people who create those stories. And honestly? It's about time. The timing here matters too. With Final Fantasy XIV's Dawntrail expansion on the horizon and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth still fresh in players' minds, Square Enix is making it clear: enjoy the games, share your thoughts, but remember there are real people on the other side of that screen.