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 due to reports of its ability to harvest sensitive player data. This data 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 included access to information typically unavailable through in-game tools, such as "Content ID" and "Account ID," enabling cross-character tracking. This exploited the Content ID system introduced in the Dawntrail expansion, designed for player blacklisting.

Opting out required joining the Playerscope Discord server. Essentially, all players outside this server were potentially having their data scraped, raising significant privacy issues. The community reacted strongly, with many calling the mod's purpose "to stalk people."

After its initial appearance on Github, leading to a surge in popularity, Playerscope was removed due to Terms of Service violations. While allegedly mirrored on Gittea and Gitflic, IGN verified the mod's absence from these sites. However, its continued existence within private communities remains a possibility.

Yoshida's statement emphasized the prohibition of third-party tools under the Final Fantasy XIV User Agreement, highlighting the potential safety risks. He urged players to avoid using or disseminating information about such tools.

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

Community Reaction:

The community's response to Yoshida's statement was largely critical. Many felt the statement failed to address the underlying issue, suggesting that fixing the game's vulnerabilities to prevent mod creation should have been a priority. Others criticized the lack of proactive measures to prevent data exposure on the client-side. The Playerscope author has yet to comment publicly.