‘Harassment’ of Final Fantasy 14 developers forces Square Enix to shut down another Japanese content creator

Final Fantasy 14 developer Square Enix has taken action against another Japanese content creator over alleged harassment of its staff. This marks the second such case in two months. The company said it identified a user who had posted videos that it claims damaged the reputation of its employees and the organisation, and reached a legal settlement that resulted in the removal of the content and the creator’s account. This incident comes amid another case earlier in March involving a news blog in Japan, as the company attempts to combat behaviour it terms “harmful” towards its employees.According to Square Enix, the most recent case involved a video blogger who targeted players of Final Fantasy 14. The company said it asked for and received the account holder's name, which enabled it to get in touch and work out a deal.In a statement to Automaton, the company said, “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. 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 confirmed that the individual’s videos and account have already been removed as part of the settlement. The case follows a similar action last month against the administrator of Japanese news blog Netoge Sokuho. In that instance, the company said it obtained the identity of the anonymous operator through the site’s provider, leading to a settlement that included compensation, a public apology, and the blog's shutdown. The company reiterated that while it values player feedback, it considers certain behaviour unacceptable.“We sincerely value the valuable feedback, opinions, and requests we receive from our customers as a foundation for delivering better entertainment. 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,” Square Enix noted.“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,” the company added.The issue of harassment has also been addressed by Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida, who spoke about the impact of player behaviour on development teams in an earlier interview with VGC at Gamescom. Yoshida said, “I attended Opening Night Live for Gamescom and I could see all the gamers gathered from around the globe. 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.”