Square Enix is ready to sue gamers who harass employees
On January 10, Square Enix published its new “Customer Gang Harassment Policy,” outlining the publisher’s approach to denying service to abusive customers, including the possibility of filing lawsuits against those who harass its employees.
“If Square Enix determines that any individual has committed an act against one of our employees or partners that is outside the bounds of socially acceptable behavior or causes harm,” the policy states, “we reserve the right to terminate support services or refrain from provision of our services.” group products and services. If such actions are egregious or committed with malicious intent, Square Enix reserves the right to defend its employees and partners and take legal or criminal action in consultation with police and/or attorneys.”
The policy breaks harmful behavior into two categories: harassment and unjustified demands. The former includes acts of violence, profanity and intimidation, and discriminatory speech, while the latter focuses on unreasonable demands for monetary compensation and excessive demands for punishment of employees.
If you’ve spent any time online and observed how parts of the gaming community interact with developers, none of this should surprise you. Actually, Final fantasy 14 Producer Naoki Yoshida recently had to come forward and beg players to stop making transphobic insults towards English voice actress Sena Brier due to her role as Vuk Lamata in Dawn trail extension.
Square Enix’s policy is part of a broader movement in Japanese society to combat a growing culture of customer harassment. According to The Japan Times, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare submitted and approved a report in December 2024 that, if passed into law, would require companies to protect their employees from “conduct of customers, business partners, facility users and others that violate limits of what is socially acceptable and harms the environment of workers.”
Other Japanese companies such as Sega, Level-5 and Rakuten also implemented similar policies last year. Sega even sued someone for “defamation and extreme harassment” of one of its employees via social media, announcing in July 2024 that the defendant had been ordered to pay the victim undisclosed damages. A similar case played out in 2023, when a Washington court awarded Bungie nearly $500,000 in damages for Destiny 2 a player who was stalking one of the community managers. Both victories could set important precedents for future litigation.