The second incarnation of Final Fantasy 14 debuted in 2013, and it’s proven to be far more resilient than the version that arrived in 2010. However, there’s been discontent in the FF14 community lately over the removal of a popular mod, which led to the game’s subsequent review-bombing on Steam. Now, director Naoki Yoshida has addressed the mod controversy with an appeal to players.
Yoshida’s complete remarks were posted on FF14’s official site, and he requested that excerpts from his statement not be used by media outlets. But since his response was nearly 2,000 words, a concise recap is unavoidable. The issue started when Square Enix’s lawyers sent a letter to modder DarkArchon regarding Mare Synchronos, a mod that allowed players’ customized avatars to be visible outside of their own game. Once Mare Synchronos was removed at Square Enix’s request, some fans shared their fury in the form of negative Steam reviews.
Although Yoshida notes that he tolerates mods and has admiration for some fan-made creations, he’s against mods that violate the game’s intent or design in a negative manner. As a potential example, Yoshida noted that Square Enix could face legal consequences in some countries over nude character mods on display in the game. He also cited customized appearances that mimic paid content from from the game as an example of devaluing the services and collectibles that Square Enix sells to provide the revenue the game needs to remain financially viable.
Yoshida concluded his statement by saying he respects the tradition of modding in PC games, but he also requests that players do so while respecting the rules and integrity of FF14.
Late last year, Square Enix expanded Final Fantasy 14 into the mobile realm and released the game’s fifth expansion, Dawntrail. More recently, Yoshida has shared his intent to make sure Final Fantasy 14 remains compatible with PlayStation 4 as long as possible. However, he added that the limitations of the PS4 hardware may make that less feasible going forward.