Published Tuesday, 13 June 2006 by
David Spratley
Square Enix is taking steps to stop the trading of in-game currency (called "gil") from Final Fantasy XI online multiplayer game for real money (artfully referred to as Real Money Trading, or RMT). The game's user agreements expressly prohibit players from engaging in RMT activities.
According to Square Enix, a detailed investigation identified a group of players who were using 'illicit methods"? to produce large amounts of gil and then selling that in-game currency for real-world money. As a result, Square Enix has terminated 250 user accounts and removed more than 250 billion gil from circulation.
Square Enix announcement at http://shorl.com/dotubrostutuse
Square Enix statement about RMT (December 2004) at http://shorl.com/fusafastosodra
Coverage at http://shorl.com/byrutogijusti (GameSpot)
