On January 10th, Square Enix unveiled a new policy aimed at tackling customer harassment, clearly outlining its stance on dealing with abusive behavior. This approach includes the potential for legal action against individuals who target their employees.
The policy states, “If it’s determined that someone acts against our employees or partners in a way that goes beyond socially acceptable behavior or causes harm, we hold the right to stop providing them support services or our products. In severe cases with harmful intent, we will consider legal action or criminal proceedings after consulting the police and legal experts.”
Square Enix categorizes this unacceptable behavior into two main groups: harassment and unreasonable demands. Harassment covers physical aggression, abusive language, intimidation, and discrimination. Unreasonable demands involve asking for unmerited compensation and wanting undue employee punishments.
For anyone familiar with online gaming communities, this policy might not come as a shock. For instance, Naoki Yoshida, producer of Final Fantasy 14, recently urged players to cease the transphobic attacks directed at English voice actor Sena Bryer due to her role in the Dawntrail expansion.
This move by Square Enix reflects a broader effort within Japanese culture to combat growing customer harassment. The Japan Times highlighted that in December 2024, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare endorsed a report. If this becomes law, it will require businesses to shield their staff from behavior that crosses social boundaries and adversely affects the work environment.
Other Japanese businesses like Sega, Level-5, and Rakuten have rolled out similar policies recently. Sega even pursued legal action over “slander and severe harassment” of an employee on social media. In July 2024, the court ordered the offender to pay damages, though the amount wasn’t disclosed. A comparable case occurred in 2023, when a U.S. court in Washington granted Bungie nearly $500,000 after a Destiny 2 player harassed one of their community managers. Both outcomes could potentially set important benchmarks for future issues of this nature.
