A Final Fantasy 14 mod that allegedly scrapes hidden player data has sparked major privacy concerns, with director Naoki “Yoshi-P” Yoshida now considering legal action.
The tool, called Playerscope, allows users to track character details, retainer information, alternate accounts linked to a Square Enix ID, and more. This data is automatically sent to a centralized database controlled by the mod’s creator, collecting information on any player nearby—whether they are being directly observed or not.
One of the mod’s most alarming features is its ability to reveal “Content ID” and “Account ID” details, which can be used to track players across different characters. It achieves this by manipulating Final Fantasy 14’s Content ID system, introduced in the Dawntrail expansion, which allows users to blacklist others across all characters on their service account.
Critically, the only way to prevent data from being collected is to manually opt out by joining the mod creator’s private Discord server. This means every Final Fantasy 14 player not in the server is potentially having their data logged—leading to widespread concerns about stalking and harassment. One Reddit user summed up the fears bluntly: “The purpose is obvious, to stalk people.”
The mod first gained traction after being discovered on GitHub, but was quickly removed for violating terms of service. However, reports suggest it may have been mirrored on other sites, and could still be circulating in private communities.
Yoshida Responds to the Controversy
Yoshida has now issued an official statement on the game’s forums, directly addressing the situation:
“We have confirmed that there exist third-party tools that are being used to check Final Fantasy 14 character information that is not displayed during normal gameplay. The tool is being used to display a segment of a character’s internal account ID, which is then used in an attempt to correlate information on other characters on the same service account.”
According to Yoshida, the development and operations teams are actively discussing two possible responses:
- Requesting the removal and deletion of the tool.
- Pursuing legal action.
He also reassured players that while Playerscope can access hidden in-game data, it cannot expose sensitive personal details such as addresses or payment information tied to Square Enix accounts.
“We strive to offer and maintain a safe environment for our players, which is why we ask everyone to refrain from using third-party tools… The use of third-party tools is prohibited by the Final Fantasy 14 User Agreement, and their usage could threaten the safety of players.”
While Final Fantasy 14 has long prohibited mods, certain tools—such as Advanced Combat Tracker—are widely used by the raiding community and referenced through sites like FFLogs. Yoshida’s threat of legal action, however, marks a much stronger stance than previous enforcement efforts.
Community Backlash
Yoshida’s response has divided the Final Fantasy 14 community, with many players criticizing the statement. One user noted, “Fixing the game to break the mod isn’t on the list of options they’re considering, I see.”
Another pointed out that Square Enix could prevent such issues by improving client-side data security: “Or you could just see how not to expose the information. Of course, this means extra work, but is Final Fantasy 14 really on such a tight schedule and budget that they can’t deal with these things properly?”
“Kind of a disappointing statement that really fails to acknowledge the root cause of the problem,” another player added.
As of now, the creator of Playerscope has not publicly responded.
