For the second month in a row, Square Enix says it has shut down a content creator it accused of “harassing” Final Fantasy 14 development staff.
Last month the company announced that it had taken action against the admin of Japanese news blog Netoge Sokuho for publishing articles that it says were damaging to the reputations of staff and executives.
After getting the site’s provider to disclose the identity of the anonymous admin, Square Enix reached a settlement in which the admin agreed to pay an undisclosed fee, publish an apology then shut down the site.
Now, as reported by Automaton, Square Enix has announced that it has done the same again, this time with a content creator who was posting videos to a video sharing site.
In an official statement, the company stated that it had again requested the identity of the person responsible for making the content, and was given that information, which enabled Square Enix to contact them and reach a settlement.
“Following our response to acts of harassment against our executives and employees announced on March 9, 2026, we are pleased to report that we have identified the user who posted a video on a video-sharing site containing content that damaged the social reputation of our company and those associated with Final Fantasy 14,” it said (via machine translation).
“We have reached a settlement with the user, which includes an apology, payment of compensation, and a prohibition against similar acts in the future.”
Square Enix also noted that the person’s videos and their account on the site have already been removed as a result of this settlement.
“We sincerely value the valuable feedback, opinions, and requests we receive from our customers as a foundation for delivering better entertainment,” it added. “However, we view acts of harassment – such as personal attacks, defamation, threats of harm, and threats of obstruction of business – against our officers and employees, as serious issues that threaten their safety and undermine the environment in which they can work with peace of mind.
“We have a responsibility to maintain a workplace environment where our executives and employees can work safely and with peace of mind. Moving forward, based on our group’s ‘Policy on Responding to Customer Harassment’, we will strictly address all malicious acts of harassment related to the provision of our products and services, including through legal action.”
In an interview with VGC at Gamescom last year, Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida – best known to fans as Yoshi-P – said he hoped players realised that the game’s development staff are people with feelings and that they shouldn’t be harassed.
“I attended Opening Night Live for Gamescom and I could see all the gamers gathered from around the globe,” he told us. “As developers, it’s our aspiration and aim to make the best playing experience for all of our players to enjoy, and I really hope that players will not forget that we are putting in our very best in order to deliver that experience for them.
“Of course, from a player’s perspective, there are games which they might find fun, and there are other games which might not have been fun for them. But at the end of the day, as developers, we are doing our very best to provide the best gaming experience for the players, and I really do hope that the players won’t forget that.
“Of course, right now around the world, there are a lot of big problems and very difficult situations. As a result of that, there is certain feedback that comes up on social media. But I do hope that players won’t forget at the end of the day that as developers, we are people too.
“I really hope that we can work on fostering the positive relationship with our players, because we are people, and I really hope that we can strive together to work on that relationship together and really make it something positive.”
