Age of Conan

6100 Final Fantasy XI cheaters get the axe

Square Enix takes latest swipe at real-money trade in online RPG

January 25, 2007

Square Enix has announced that it has banned 6,100 accounts from its online RPG, Final Fantasy XI. These accounts were all banned for various reasons surrounding real-money trade (RMT) – the exchange of in-game currency (Gil) for real-life money.

The reasons are broken down as follows:

  • 2,300 banned for using tools to modify/enhance character movement.
  • 850 banned for modifying game mechanics, changing ability use timers.
  • 1,850 banned for confirmed connections with RMT, including individuals who were previously banned who had re-subscribed.
  • 1,100 banned for unspecified RMT-related activites.

As a result of these bannings, a total of 17.2 billion Gil has been removed from circulation in the game's virtual economy.

The RMT phenomenon has been a long-running problem for Final Fantasy XI players, as RMT players (or "gilsellers") disrupt normal gameplay by monopolizing money-making opportunities in the game, and by the large amounts of Gil injected into the economy, causing inflation.