Just last week, beloved Final Fantasy 14 plug-in Mare Synchronos was taken down following a so-called "legal inquiry" – but after a few days of radio silence from Square Enix on the subsequent drama, director Naoki "Yoshi-P" Yoshida has finally made an official statement in response.
The full announcement from the MMO lead is found on the official Final Fantasy 14 website, titled "Regarding Mod Usage and Culture," and we'd encourage you to read it in full.
Yoshi-P opens by declaring that "this post is not meant to target any one mod specifically," but to touch on the general subject of mods, their use, and the "culture surrounding them," writing that he isn't just the game's director – he says he's "also a PC gamer, and have been for many years."
He then outlines how he's seen "numerous positive examples of games with fan-made mods that expand upon existing gameplay," but "these mods are generally created with a vital premise in mind: they are for personal use only, and the individual player is responsible for the mods they use. Furthermore, the mods must not impact the core game, its services, or the intended game design in a negative manner."
When it comes to Final Fantasy 14, Yoshi-P states that he ultimately doesn't mind if players use mods, as long as they follow two rules: "that their style of gameplay does not infringe upon others, and that they do not negatively impact the core game, its services, or intended game design."
The director then moves on to more specific examples "on what 'infringing upon others and 'negatively impacting the intended game design' entail" – particularly within the realm of altering character or items' appearances.
That's where the lead brings up hardcore raiding, including the likes of Savage and Ultimate duties. While many players, myself included, admittedly, strive to complete such raids in the hopes of obtaining special gear or new titles, not everyone wants to (or can, really) put in the amount of effort and time required to emerge successful. That's why they may instead opt to employ the use of cosmetic mods to glam up their Warriors of Light.
Although that's apparently okay, it's only okay if others can't see their modded cosmetics, as it "considerably negates the cooperation, time, and effort invested, not to mention the pride they might have felt in their achievement" for those who earn the glams or titles via gameplay. "In this example," as Yoshi-P puts it, "other players have been infringed upon, and the intended design of the game has been negatively impacted."
In such scenarios, the director says mods' usage "has diminished other players' motivation and circumvented the game's systems." This rings true because, he says, "Even if the creator of the mod simply intended for players to readily access and enjoy their favorite gear, they have detrimentally affected both the game and the wider player community."
Fans of mods like Mare Synchronos may be wondering – I know I was – how this is the case if all parties have the same add-on, which would imply they've consented to seeing others' modded outfits. Yoshi-P addresses this, explaining, "The issue is that any mod which makes changes visible to others requires the manipulation or rewriting of game files, which is fundamentally even more problematic and destructive."
Even if a mod "provided generous improvements to the game and was well received by all players, the moment a problematic feature is introduced to said mod," he writes that Square Enix "must insist that players stop using it." It doesn't all boil down to fairness for raiders, however – the next point Yoshi-P makes is controversial at best: the Mog Station. We hate to love it, we love to hate it… but it's a contributing factor here.
Appearance-related mods might allow fans to equip items they'd otherwise have to pay real money for via the online shop, the Mog Station. "What does that say to the players who go through the trouble of saving up to purchase these goods from the FFXIV Online Store? Are these players losing out by not using a mod?"
You might be readying your virtual pitchforks now, saying, "Square Enix is to blame for trying to make money by demanding that players spend extra on optional items." According to Yoshi-P, though, the company has good reasons to operate an online shop like the Mog Station.
Between "global inflation" and server costs, developers have a lot to cover, and it's not cheap. "We do not want to increase subscription fees for players, if at all possible – but keeping our game running requires sufficient income," as the lead states. "If we start creating a deficit, FFXIV may no longer be able to operate."
I'm not personally sure whether I fully believe the Mog Station is necessary to curb costs or avoid hiking the subscription fees in a world in which we pay for the base game and every expansion pack, but it does evidently play a role in devs' decision-making surrounding mods. After all, Yoshi-P does say they "are given no choice but to act if mods even incidentally threaten player motivation or the viability of our services."
The final potential problem mods like Mare Synchronos or other cosmetic add-ons may result in is a tad more… NSFW. It's no secret that roleplayers and other fans use such third-party tools to spice, if you will, their games up a bit – but Final Fantasy 14 "itself may be subject to legal measures by regulators in certain countries," so things like visible nudity are a no-go, especially as "laws that regulate the content of video games grow stricter by the year."
Yoshi-P may be referring to situations like the recent crackdown on adult games and the ever-changing British legality surrounding online access to NSFW material. "These laws are there to protect minors and for a variety of other reasons, but the fact remains that they are tangibly becoming stricter," he concludes. The potential inability "to provide our services in adherence to the laws of all countries where FF14 is available" is "another example of damage dealt to our services."
There's no telling what this means for other cosmetic mods, or whether Mare Synchronos will ever resurface, but I wouldn't hold my breath. On a brighter note, Yoshi-P is "also considering how to increase the freedom of choice players have in the gear they choose to equip."
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