Square Enix has terminated over 11,500 accounts held by players involved in the usage of 3rd party tools or cheats, or engaged in RMT (Real Money Trading) activities. The termination of these accounts has led to the removal of approximately 45 billion Gil from circulation.
The violations of these PC, PS2 & Xbox 360 users were:
* Usage of tools that allow enhanced character movement. Approx. 1,100 cases.
* Usage of tools that circumvent game mechanics with respect to the timing of ability use, etc. in certain areas or at points where Notorious Monsters appear. Approx. 6,400 cases.
* RMT-related activity Approx. 4,000 cases. Bye bye Gil.
Square Enix wants to remind players that the use of third party programs adversely affect game balance. Along with affecting game balance, other risks can arise from use of third party programs that are not immediately obvious such as possibly introducing damaging viruses and compromising the security of private account details.
This isn’t the first time that has happened. In early 2006, Square Enix discovered that a group of players had found a way to generate the game currency and exchange it for real currency, which in turn drove up prices for all items across the game. In response, 700 accounts were permanently banned and 300 billion Gil was removed from circulation.