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 it to a central database controlled by the mod's creator. This encompassed information typically inaccessible through in-game tools, such as "Content ID" and "Account ID," enabling cross-character tracking by exploiting the Dawntrail expansion's Content ID system—a system intended for account-wide blacklisting.

Opting out required joining Playerscope's private Discord; anyone outside it was theoretically having their data scraped, raising serious privacy issues. The community reacted strongly, with one Redditor stating the mod's purpose was clearly to stalk players.

Initially hosted on GitHub, the mod's popularity exploded after the author announced its presence on the platform. Subsequently removed from GitHub due to terms of service violations, it allegedly resurfaced on Gittea and Gitflic, though IGN verified its absence from both. However, the possibility of its continued circulation within private communities remains.

Naoki 'Yoshi-P' Yoshida, Final Fantasy XIV's producer and director, addressed the issue on the game's official forum, acknowledging the existence of the third-party tool and its ability to expose internal account IDs, potentially linking multiple characters on the same service account. He stated that Square Enix is considering requesting the tool's removal and pursuing legal action. Yoshida reassured players that the tool could not access personal information like addresses or payment details stored on Square Enix accounts. He urged players to avoid using third-party tools and not to assist in their distribution, citing violations of the Final Fantasy XIV User Agreement and potential threats to player safety.

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

The FF14 Community Responds

The community's response to Yoshida's statement was largely critical. One user commented on the lack of consideration for fixing the game's vulnerabilities to prevent such mods. Others criticized the lack of focus on preventing data exposure on the client-side, suggesting that Square Enix lacked the resources or will to address the underlying issue effectively. The Playerscope author has yet to publicly respond.