No mercy: Square Enix has punished the blogger again for harassment of Final Fantasy 14 developers

Square Enix keeps upping the pressure on harassment aimed at its staff. One recent incident involved a creator for Final Fantasy 14. Under legal pressure they deleted their account. They then issued an apology and were ordered to pay compensation after posting videos the company says harmed developers' reputations.

This isn't an isolated move. Earlier legal steps (e.g., cease-and-desist letters and lawsuits) helped shut down major fan blogs in Japan. The publisher insists that critique is allowed, but warns that threats or personal attacks will trigger legal action.

The boundary between legitimate criticism and actionable harassment is messy; some people view these suits as necessary protection, others as heavy-handed silencing.

With the team still prepping update 7.5 for release on April 28, Square Enix’s lawyers are making it plain they'll go after those they see as crossing the line—even if that means confronting vocal members of the community.