Final Fantasy 14 Director Yoshi-P Threatens Legal Action Against 'Stalking' Mod

In early 2025, a Final Fantasy XIV mod ignited concerns about player stalking after reports surfaced that it harvested hidden player data. This included sensitive information like character details, retainer information, linked alternate characters, and more.

The mod, "Playerscope," tracked players' data within its vicinity, sending this information to a central database controlled by the mod's creator. This encompassed data players couldn't normally access in-game, including "Content ID" and "Account ID," which facilitated cross-character tracking, exploiting the Dawntrail expansion's Content ID system intended for account-wide blacklisting. The only way to prevent data scraping was to opt out via the mod's private Discord server, meaning potentially every player outside this server was affected—a significant privacy breach. The community's reaction was swift and critical, with many citing the mod's obvious purpose: stalking.

Weeks ago, the mod author revealed Playerscope's presence on GitHub, causing a surge in popularity. Subsequently, it was removed from GitHub due to Terms of Service violations, although alleged mirrors on Gittea and Gitflic were later confirmed not to exist by IGN. However, the mod might still circulate within private communities.

Naoki 'Yoshi-P' Yoshida, Final Fantasy XIV's producer and director, addressed the issue on the game's official forum, referencing Playerscope directly. His statement acknowledged the existence of third-party tools revealing in-game inaccessible character information, including parts of internal account IDs used to link other characters on the same service account. Yoshida stated that the development and operations teams were exploring options including requesting removal and deletion of the tool, and pursuing legal action. He reassured players that account details like addresses and payment information could not be accessed through these tools. He urged players to refrain from using third-party tools, avoid sharing information about them, and emphasized that such use violates the Final Fantasy XIV User Agreement and compromises player safety.

While third-party tools like Advanced Combat Tracker are commonly used by the raiding community and integrated with sites like FFlogs, Yoshida's legal threat represents a significant escalation.

The FF14 Community Responds

The community's response to Yoshida's statement was largely negative. Players criticized the lack of proactive solutions, such as addressing the client-side vulnerabilities exploited by the mod, instead of focusing solely on legal action and removal requests. Many expressed disappointment, highlighting the statement's failure to address the root cause of the problem. The Playerscope author has yet to comment.