《最终幻想14》总监吉田直树威胁对“跟踪”Mod采取法律行动

In early 2025, a Final Fantasy XIV mod ignited concerns about player stalking due to reports of its ability to harvest sensitive player data. This included character details, retainer information, linked alternate characters, and more.

The mod, "Playerscope," tracked player data within a user's vicinity, transmitting it to a central database controlled by the mod's creator. This exposed information typically inaccessible through in-game tools, notably "Content ID" and "Account ID," enabling cross-character tracking. This exploited the Content ID system introduced in the Dawntrail expansion, originally designed for player blacklisting across accounts and characters.

Opting out required joining the Playerscope Discord server. Essentially, any player outside this server was potentially having their data scraped, raising serious privacy concerns. Community backlash was swift, with many labeling the mod's purpose as "stalking."

Following its discovery on Github and subsequent surge in popularity, Playerscope was removed due to terms of service violations. While attempts to locate it on alternative platforms like Gittea and Gitflic proved unsuccessful, the possibility of its continued circulation in private communities remains.

Naoki 'Yoshi-P' Yoshida, producer and director of Final Fantasy XIV, addressed the situation on the official forums, directly referencing Playerscope. He confirmed the existence of third-party tools accessing non-public character information, including internal account IDs used to link multiple characters on the same service account.

Yoshida stated that Square Enix is exploring options including removal requests and legal action. He reassured players that account-specific data like addresses and payment information remained inaccessible via these tools. He urged players to avoid using third-party tools, refrain from sharing information about them, and emphasized that their use violates the Final Fantasy XIV User Agreement.

While tools like Advanced Combat Tracker and websites like FFlogs are commonly used by the raiding community, Yoshida's legal threat represents a significant escalation.

Community Response

The community's response to Yoshida's statement was largely critical. Players questioned the lack of focus on fixing the underlying vulnerabilities that allowed the mod to function, suggesting alternative solutions that would require additional development effort. Many criticized the statement for failing to address the root cause of the problem. The Playerscope author has yet to comment.