Naoki Yoshida, the game director and producer of Final Fantasy XIV has released a statement following the now tarnished world first clear of The Omega Protocol (Ultimate). The statement addressed allegations of using unfair play, third-party tools, and the official recognition of the world first race. The statement was posted on FFXIV’s official Lodestone website, linked from FFXIV’s Twitter.
In the statement, Yoshida, better known as Yoshi P, explains that an investigation is now underway into using third-party tools during the world first clear of TOP by UNNAMED_. Yoshi P also repeatedly reiterated that the official stance of himself and others within Square Enix is that third-party tools are prohibited. The post went so far as to link back to three previous statements outlining the policy.
Related: The Omega Protocol Ultimate cleared for the first time in FFXIV
Additionally, Yoshi P revealed that the post-clear cutscene of TOP had also been leaked and that “footage that is not possible to record on the public game servers.” These leaks also took place during the Dragonsong’s Reprise (Ultimate), which Yoshida acknowledges.
But in perhaps the most cutting part of the statement, Yoshida states: “I, as a gamer, am cheering on everyone who is learning this content by trial and error and putting in the effort to clear,” reiterating that they release the content after testing with the threshold that it can be cleared without the use of third-party tools. Yoshi P also added, "if the presumption is that this content will be tackled and cleared with the use of third-party tools, then any reason to develop high-difficulty battle content seems to be lost.” This dark sentiment suggests that SE could lose interest in releasing high-end content if this kind of cheating continues.
However, in the same statement, Yoshida also hinted that there’s some internal discussion about officially supporting the world first race. And given that the past two and possibly three world firsts have been tampered with, some kind of moderation would definitely be appreciated.
Ultimately Yoshida ended the piece with a final message to those who would use third-party tools, stating that if a world first team used them, “I, at the very least, will not recognize that team as the true World First.”
For more Final Fantasy XIV news, guides, and information, check out FFXIV players are so buffed they are becoming nerfed in latest raid on Pro Game Guides.
Michael lives in the UK, but wishes he lived in Eorzea. A life-long gamer, Four years ago, he ditched a "real" job to write about video games for a living, and hasn't looked back. When not guiding players how to get the latest mounts, crafting recipes, and in-game goodies, he spends his time nurturing an unhealthy addiction to MMOs and gacha games.