Apr. 25, 2007 04:00 [PDT] From: FINAL FANTASY XI

Accounts Banned (Apr. 25)

We would like to report the termination today of multiple accounts held by players involved in the usage of third-party tools or cheats, or engaged in RMT (Real Money Trading) activities. Based on the results of our investigation, over 3400 PlayOnline accounts were terminated while over 500 accounts were temporarily suspended. Details of the violations are as follows: - Usage of tools that allow enhanced character movement. Approx. 600 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. 200 cases -Using cheats to automatically repeat a particular action. Approx. 2200 cases *The above number reflects the total number of accounts banned within the period of a month. This does not include individual cases handled by GMs. - Accounts from people that were previously confirmed to have RMT connections, or that had violated the user agreements but re-subscribed to PlayOnline. Approx. 900 cases The termination of these accounts has led to the removal of approximately 2.8 billion gil from circulation. *As there were no significant RMT violations, we will not be reporting the number of accounts banned in this round of investigations. Rest assured that we will continue to look into and penalize accounts found to be engaging in such activities. We would like to remind players that as well as adversely affecting game balance, the use of third-party tools or cheats can also have consequences that are not immediately obvious, such as introducing damaging viruses, and comprising the security of private account details. Usage of third-party tools will not be tolerated within FINAL FANTASY XI, and we will continue to severely penalize any players found to be in violation of the PlayOnline Member Agreement. As we continue to ensure a fun and balanced environment for FINAL FANTASY XI, we hope that our players enjoy the game as it was intended and take care to avoid involvement in activities that violate the PlayOnline Member Agreement. Thank you for your continued cooperation and understanding.