One of the most talked-about FF14 mods suddenly shuts down after "legal inquiry"

It's a tough day for the roleplaying and social side of Final Fantasy 14, as one of its most talked-about mods has suddenly been shut down by its creator after receiving a "legal inquiry concerning the project." The FF14 Mare Synchronos mod appeared on the scene three years ago, and offered a way for roleplayers or fashion-lovers to see one another's custom appearance and emotes in the popular MMORPG, but now it's been taken off the table.

Square Enix and the Final Fantasy 14 team have long held a firm stance against mods, but they aren't typically addressed directly. A recent exception was the PlayerScope tool, which caught ire for its ability to obtain other people's player data. The developer has also made a more concerted effort in recent years to bring popular third-party features to the MMORPG in an official form, such as the chat bubbles introduced in patch 7.3.

Outside of that, the approach has largely felt like "don't ask, don't tell," where players aren't actively sought out for cosmetic mods that only affect their game. Mare, however, probably steps a little outside of this. Rather than offering mods itself, it's a tool that allows players to easily share their favorite cosmetic changes with other like-minded users. Typically, most visual mods only apply to your character in your version of the game and aren't seen by anyone else, which is exactly what Mare is designed to solve.

If you're wearing a custom outfit, have given your character new hairstyles or visual detailing such as scars or freckles, or are using modded dances, connecting with fellow Mare users allows them to see you in their game the way you appear in yours. There are ways to do this manually, but it's designed to be a much more convenient option. This obviously has large roleplaying ramifications, whether it's wanting people to check out your unique look or making sure that everyone at a nightclub party can see all of the wild dance moves people are breaking out.

This factor also means that, despite creator 'DarkArchon' previously asking people not to make a public show of the tool's use, it's long been a very badly kept 'secret.' If you've seen the 'Mare Lamentorum' tag in someone's Adventurer Plate, it's probably an indication that they're using the mod and would be interested in connecting with you to share their custom look. To borrow a popular community analogy, it feels a bit like the members of Fight Club walking around wearing t-shirts that read, "I'm in Fight Club."

Now, DarkArchon has announced that the server used to run Mare will be shut down effective today, Friday August 22. "With a heavy heart, I have to announce the end of Mare Synchronos as you know it," they write via Discord. "I've received a legal inquiry concerning the project. After reviewing my options with counsel, I'm winding it down." Registrations have closed, the client, server, and api repositories have been removed, and all related Patreon and Ko-Fi memberships will be disabled.

DarkArchon does not specify where the inquiry has come from, and asks that players "Please avoid speculation or harassment in any form or fashion towards anyone involved. I will not be sharing any legal details, and I ask that you don't contact any third parties about this." They conclude, "Thank you for the past three years of Mare, I hope you enjoyed the ride."

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