Square Enix has announced a new "group customer harassment policy" aimed at protecting its employees and partners from harmful behavior and actions taken by its followers and fans.
"Square Enix believes that the feedback, comments and requests received from our customers are essential to the advancement of our group's products and services," the new policy states. "At the same time, there are instances where certain customers take actions directly or through our support centers, or towards our group executives, employees, [or] partners who are involved in the creation and distribution of our group products and services, that constitute 'customer harassment'.
"Such actions do not only prevent our employees and partners from engaging in their work with a sense of security but also causes disruptions to other customers. Square Enix will not tolerate harassment and will take action as necessary."
Those actions range from refusing support requests and implementing bans to, in cases "where such action is egregious or with malicious intent," legal action and possibly even criminal proceedings.
As unfortunate as it is that this sort of thing has to be spelled out, game companies are increasingly being forced to take explicit action against abusive fans. In 2023, Destiny 2 studio Bungie won a $500,000 award against a "racist shitstain" who harassed and threatened a community manager, and in 2024 issued permanent bans against players who aimed toxic abuse at one of its developers during a livestream. Colossal Order CEO Mariina Hallikainen also warned against growing toxicity among Cities: Skylines 2 players in 2024, saying the studio may have to "pull back our engagement" with the community if it keeps up.
As noted in this Reddit thread, Square Enix has faced a significant level of abuse in the past as well. Final Fantasy writer Kazushige Nojima said in February 2024 that he "felt afraid" after facing "insults and violent words" from a supposed fan, and Final Fantasy 14 voice actor Sena Bryer said later in the year that she faced transphobic abuse including "misgendering, death/rape threats, doxxing attempts, [and] threats against my family" for her portrayal of Wuk Lamat. In GDC's 2023 State of the Game Industry survey, 91% of respondents said player harassment of game developers is a problem for the industry, particularly among women and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
