Square Enix forces apology and compensation from FF14 content creator in harassment case

Square Enix has recently been cracking down on cyberbullying, as the company has taken legal action against a Final Fantasy 14 content creator for allegedly harassing staff members. This marks the second such incident within a few weeks.

Square Enix: “Harassment threatens safety” after taking legal action 

On April 20, Square Enix issued an official announcement stating that the company had identified a user on a video-sharing site who had posted multiple videos. The company alleged that these videos damaged the reputation of executives and employees working on Final Fantasy 14. Square Enix published the statement on its website, stating:

“We are pleased to have reached a settlement that includes an apology from the uploader, payment of compensation, and a prohibition against similar actions in the future. The matter was resolved after a request for disclosure of the uploader’s information was made, which was granted by the court.”

“As of this announcement, the video and the uploader’s account have been removed. We sincerely value the feedback, opinions, and requests we receive from our customers and use them as fuel to deliver even better entertainment.”

“On the other hand, we consider harassment against our officers and employees, including personal attacks, defamation, threats of harm, and obstruction of business, to be a serious problem that threatens their safety and undermines the environment in which they can work with peace of mind.”

This story follows a similar case that occurred earlier in March, when Square Enix filed a lawsuit against the Japanese news blog Netoge Sokuho, formerly known as FF14 Sokuho. The website was accused of publishing articles that crossed the line into harassment. Square Enix went to court to reveal the identity of the anonymous website administrator, negotiated a deal to shut down the blog permanently, and secured a public apology.

Coincidentally, another news aggregator called Umadori Sokuho, of its own volition, pulled the plug on its blog and wrote: “Having reconsidered the weight of responsibility involved in disseminating information online, I have decided to draw a line under this matter in my own way. To all the FF14 development and operations staff whom I have inconvenienced, I sincerely apologize.”

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