Category: Video Games

What should have been a celebration of a group clearing the most challenging possible content in Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker has turned into controversy, as the very first team to clear the latest FF14 raid has been accused of cheating.

Except…it’s also kind of not cheating? Depending on who you ask.

The gist is that last week, FF14 patch 6.31 released, including a new, super-hard version of an existing raid: The Omega Protocol. A typical race to be the first raid team in the world to clear it ensued, with a group called Unnamed_ taking the crown on Monday by posting screenshots of their victory. However, not long after, an unlisted video began to circulate showing one of their members using a mod to zoom the camera out much farther than it normally should be able to do, presumably to get a better view on the mechanics. There are also some less-obvious UI mods displayed in the video tracking various elements of the fight.

Per FF14’s terms of service, mods of any kind are not permitted in the game. Unnamed_ has since been disqualified from the race and had its kill revoked both in-game and by a popular logging site. Additionally, a lengthy statement was published on the official FF14 news board from FF14 director Naoki Yoshida, reiterating Square Enix’s stance on third-party tools (none whatsoever permitted) and that unspecified punishments would be enacted for using them. The post additionally condemns the recording and circulation of certain in-game cutscenes and other footage that isn’t intended to be recordable.

“The ultimate raid series is the most difficult battle content within FFXIV, and we release this content after testing that it can be cleared without the use of any third-party tools,” Yoshida wrote. “However, 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. It’s very difficult for me to understand as a gamer what the meaning behind using numerous third-party tools to compete to clear first would be.

“…If the illicit use of third-party tools is made clear through our investigations, I, at the very least, will not recognize that team as the true World First.”

If you’re unfamiliar with FF14, this reads like a game rightfully cracking down on cheaters, but the reality is much more complicated. Third-party tools, mods, add-ons, whatever you call them, are actually extremely common in MMORPGs with raid content, including FF14. A large portion of high-end players will use mods to track boss mechanics, customize their UI to be more helpful, or otherwise make the game more user-friendly. FF14 rival World of Warcraft, a game with similar “World First” races around its most difficult content, has an active high-end raiding scene where everyone publicly uses dozens of mods – if you’re not, you’re dragging the group down. While FF14’s scene isn’t quite that pronounced, it’s still not a secret in the community that many people playing at the top levels are using them. They’re just not broadcasting that use because, well, things like this keep happening.

But all that said, it’s also true that given the crackdown, it’s likely there are a number of teams trying to clear the content without using mods at all. Given the threat of punishment around it, it’s hard to say precisely how common mods are across FF14. So across the community, player reactions seem to be split between people who feel the ban was justified, and others frustrated that such a harsh punishment was doled out for something that they perceive as commonplace. Some are suggesting that while some mods (such as the aforementioned small UI tools) are fine, the camera zoom was what crossed the line. All told it’s a messy situation, unhelped by the fact that there aren’t actually any anti-cheat measures preventing this from happening.

While the community may likely never come to a consensus, modding in FF14 is likely to continue unless Square Enix’s crackdown grows more severe to the point of impacting regular players en masse. That said, having such a prize actively taken away is likely to discourage serious world first hopefuls from trying such a thing in the future.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Electronic Arts is currently in the midst of a slew of cancellations and closures, the latest being a previously unknown project code-named TFL or Titanfall Legends — a secret single-player game set in the Titanfall and Apex Legends universe. The news was first reported by Bloomberg.

Not much is known about Titanfall Legends save that it was reportedly directed by Mohammad Alavi, who served as a design on the Titanfall games among other projects. Alavi departed EA early last year.

The cancellation coincides with the closure of the mobile versions of Apex Legends and Battlefield, as well as the shuttering of Industrial Toys. According to Bloomberg, roughly 50 developers were affected by the Titanfall Legends’ cancellation. EA will reportedly try to place them in other positions within the company.

Titanfall’s last solo outing was in 2016. It initially sold poorly but subsequently gained a following thanks to its superb single-player shooter design.

“It’s rare that a sequel evolves on every part of the original concept so consistently for the better, but Titanfall 2 is that exception,” we wrote in our review at the time. “Its feelgood movement is the foundation for both the engaging action and platforming gameplay of its strong campaign and its over-the-top competitive multiplayer. With bolstered progression, customization, variety, and a fleshed-out story, Respawn has made good on its original vision with Titanfall 2. And bottom line, it’s just damn fun to play.”

It was succeeded by 2019’s Apex Legends, a battle royale that cut the mechs but retained the setting. Yesterday’s closure of Apex Legends Mobile, coming less than a year after its original release, was a surprise to observers, but EA hinted that it may return.

As for Titanfall, a proper sequel seems further away than ever.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Santa Monica Studio has confirmed that God of War Ragnarok has sold through 11 million copies.

The developer behind the latest God of War shared the news on Twitter with an adorably funny gif of Kratos making a heart with his hands.

“We’re incredibly humbled that #GodofWarRagnarok has officially sold through 11 million copies,” Santa Monica Studio wrote. “None of this would be possible without the support of our fans, so thank you for coming on this journey with us.”

We’re incredibly humbled that #GodofWarRagnarok has officially sold through 11 million copies!

None of this would be possible without the support of our fans, so thank you for coming on this journey with us! pic.twitter.com/7KlAT9eddG

— Santa Monica Studio – God of War Ragnarök (@SonySantaMonica) February 1, 2023

In 2022, Sony shared that 2018’s God of War had sold more than 23 million copies through September 30, 2022. It’s important to note that those sales include the PC release of God of War, so expect a big boost to come God of War Ragnarok’s way if it makes it to PC.

While God of War Ragnarok has yet to reach the heights of 23 million copies sold, it did become the fastest-selling first-party game in PlayStation history with 5.1 million copies sold during its debut week.

In our God of War Ragnarok review, we said, “An enthralling spectacle to behold and an even more exciting one to take the reins of, God of War Ragnarok melds action and adventure together to create a new, unforgettable Norse saga. Impeccable writing, pitch-perfect performances, knockout action – it’s a complete work of art from top to bottom.”

For more, check out our God of War Ragnarok performance analysis, where Kratos ranked on IGN’s PlayStation character face-off, and the latest details on the God of War live-action series headed to Prime Video.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.