On August 21, Final Fantasy 14 players took to Steam to protest a recent move from Square Enix, as the game received waves of negative reviews and dropped its recent review rating to Mixed. The mass reviews came after the creator of a popular Final Fantasy 14 mod called "Mare Synchronos" announced it was shutting down after its creator received a legal inquiry from Square Enix.
In short, Mare Synchronos allowed participating Final Fantasy 14 players on PC to share modified player character models and loadouts with their peers for various roleplay or social purposes. However, the use of Mare Synchronos and other player-created addons is against Square Enix's terms of service, as outlined in the game's licensing agreements. Given that Square Enix does not currently utilize any anti-cheat clients or mod detection systems that would otherwise deter players from using them, the company instead relies on reports and visual proof as evidence to take action against any offending users.
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Final Fantasy 14 Players React to the Shutdown of a Popular Mod
Although Final Fantasy 14 is in the middle of a subscriber drop, the company's recent actions have triggered a strong response from some players. On the official Final Fantasy 14 subreddit, news broke that Mare Synchronos was shutting down effective Friday, August 22, at 6:00 AM Eastern after receiving a legal inquiry from Square Enix concerning the project. Ahead of the shutdown, the repositories for Mare Synchronos were removed, and the mod's creator asked users to avoid speculation or harassment concerning the matter. However, Final Fantasy 14 players have since been spurred to action on Steam. As of this writing, the Recent Review ratings for Final Fantasy 14 on Steam have dropped to Mixed following waves of negative reviews from dissatisfied players showing solidarity with Mare Synchronos.
The inquiry into Mare Synchronos is not the first time that Final Fantasy 14 has acted against mod makers. In January 2025, Final Fantasy 14 director and producer Naoki Yoshida personally addressed the situation around the controversial PlayerScope mod, which was used to access client-side AccountID information and grant the mod operator access to player character information without content. Yoshida stated that Square Enix considered legal action against PlayerScope and has since taken measures to prevent further client-side vulnerabilities that allowed PlayerScope to be utilized in the first place.
Despite Final Fantasy 14's stance against mods, the company has implemented features that were previously handled via mods, including Patch 7.3's Chat Bubbles. Only time will tell what the fallout will be from Square Enix's actions against Mare Synchronos.
- Released
- August 27, 2013
- ESRB
- T for Teen - Language, Mild Blood, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Engine
- Originally the Crystal Tools engine, but currently it's a custom engine using parts of the Luminous Engine.
WHERE TO PLAY
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Join over 30 million adventurers worldwide and take part in an epic and ever-changing FINAL FANTASY. Experience all the hallmarks of the best-selling franchise - an unforgettable story, exhilarating battles, and a myriad of diverse and captivating environments to explore. Party up with friends or play solo! Experience all the main story dungeons on your own by calling upon NPC allies to fight by your side.
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- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Playable
- PC Release Date
- August 27, 2013
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- March 21, 2024
- PS5 Release Date
- May 25, 2021
- Genre(s)
- MMORPG
- Platform(s)
- PC, macOS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- How Long To Beat
- 99½ Hours
