Anyone who has played Final Fantasy XIV in the last few weeks has likely noticed some server issues. The game is currently struggling with severe attacks, and the developers are working hard to maintain server stability.
How are the servers being crippled? Since the beginning of May, players of Final Fantasy XIV have been experiencing frequent connection drops in the game. This is not due to the MMORPG itself but rather to attacks on the game’s servers.
Unknown attackers are currently bombarding these servers with countless requests, managing to cripple them. This type of attack is called a DDoS attack.
Under the load of many requests, the servers collapse, potentially kicking all players out, regardless of whether they are in a dungeon or just standing around.
This is not only frustrating for the players but also for the team responsible for the security of the servers and data at Square Enix.
Final Fantasy XIV showcases the new jobs from Dawntrail in gameplay
The team is working around the clock
What is Square Enix doing against the attacks? In the so-called “Live Letter” from game producer and head Naoki Yoshida, the issues were publicly acknowledged for the first time. The team at Square Enix for infrastructure security has reportedly been working around the clock to fend off the attacks. There are rotating shifts within the team, and everyone is committed to resolving the problems.
To receive additional help, they have also reached out to external service providers to solve the problem. The good thing about a DDoS attack is that it does not compromise anything critical, which also pleases Yoshida.
In several Lodestone posts on the official website, the developers announced restrictions on their servers.
Why is this taking so long? Modern DDoS attacks are no longer executed solely by home computers. So-called bot networks, which send attacks using hacked IoT devices like IP cameras, printers, routers, or refrigerators, are difficult to block. Service providers like Cloudflare base their entire business model on blocking such attacks.
Not only Final Fantasy XIV is struggling with server issues; Diablo 4 was also under attack shortly after its release. Initially, players were kicked out of the game, before they then faced lengthy login issues. However, Blizzard managed to get the problem under control again: Diablo 4: DDoS attack on PC, PS5, and Xbox on June 25 – Login issues and server status
