On August 21, Final Fantasy 14 players protested on Steam against a recent decision from Square Enix, resulting in a flood of negative reviews that lowered the game’s rating to Mixed. The backlash followed the announcement of the shutdown of the popular mod Mare Synchronos, which enabled players to share modified character models and loadouts. This shutdown came after the mod’s creator was contacted legally by Square Enix.

In brief, Mare Synchronos allowed participating Final Fantasy 14 players on PC to share modified player character models and loadouts for various roleplay or social purposes. However, the use of such mods violates Square Enix’s terms of service. The company currently lacks an anti-cheat system, relying instead on reporting scenarios to take action against any user infractions.

Players’ Reaction to the Mod Shutdown

Despite an ongoing subscriber decline, Square Enix’s actions spurred strong reactions from players. The closure was confirmed on the official Final Fantasy 14 subreddit, with a warning to avoid speculation or harassment regarding the legal inquiry. Meanwhile, recent reviews for Final Fantasy 14 on Steam have faced a significant drop, with dissatisfied players expressing solidarity with Mare Synchronos.

This inquiry isn’t the first attack against mod creators by Final Fantasy 14. In January 2025, director Naoki Yoshida addressed concerns regarding another mod, PlayerScope, claiming it attempted to access player data without permission.

Moreover, some features previously handled by mods have now been introduced officially by Square Enix, such as the Chat Bubbles from Patch 7.3, raising the question of how the company will handle the aftermath of its actions against Mare Synchronos.