Final Fantasy 14's Server Issues Are Due To DDoS Attacks

Final Fantasy XIV's ongoing network issues are the result of DDoS attacks, according to publisher Square Enix. In a post on the game's official website the company offered an update on server problems that have plagued the game since the launch of its newest expansion, Stormblood.

The update states North American servers are being attacked and that the technical team is having some trouble resolving the issues.

"We have confirmed that since June 16th, we have been experiencing DDoS attacks from an anonymous third-party targeting the Final Fantasy XIV game servers on the NA data center," reads the post.

"Our technical staff is taking every possible measure to address this issue but the attack is still continuing to take place by changing their methods at every moment. We will continue to monitor and work on recovery from every possible angle."

As noted in the post, DDoS attacks are designed to flood serves with information so that it struggles to handle the load, thus crippling performance. DDoS attacks are often concerted efforts involving numerous PCs all targeting the same servers.

"Due to this attack, our game servers, network equipment, and network connection are being hit with heavy load at an extensive level, which is causing a disconnection from the game and login difficulties," Square Enix added. "Our technical staff is continuing to work on countermeasures for this issue."

The company also assured players that, despite the attacks, the personal information connected to Final Fantasy XIV accounts is not in danger.

"With the attack we are currently experiencing, only a massive number of access attempts are being made, so character data and personal information registered to our customers' accounts are not in danger of being exposed."

An early-access period for Stormblood began on June 16 for anyone who pre-ordered the game, but all players were allowed onto game servers on June 20, with the official launch of the expansion. A big patch for the game was recently released and we got the chance to talk with the company about reinventing the MMO for beginners.