Square Enix, a popular JRPG developer and publisher, has threatened to ban streamers who broadcast the Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin ending sequences. The game, which will be released on March 18, is presently available to players who pre-ordered it digitally, but it cannot be streamed in its entirety due to Square Enix restrictions.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is an action-based JRPG developed by Team Ninja that transports players to the world of the first Final Fantasy game. Stranger of Paradise, like all Final Fantasy games, is a story-driven adventure with a strong storyline and fighting sequences.
The game revolves around Jack Garland, a man on a mission to eliminate Chaos, and his comrades that accompany him on his quest. Stranger of Paradise has received positive feedback ahead of its release.
Because of the game’s narrative-driven nature, publisher Square Enix has opted to limit what elements of Stranger of Paradise content creators can disclose to the public. Square Enix, has released a set of “Gameplay Video & Livestreaming Guidelines” intended at discouraging streamers from recording the game’s climactic act.
Square Enix’s official website outlines specifically which parts of the game are prohibited from being shared: “Do not livestream, post videos, or post anything from the ending of the Game – including, without limitation, the content following the final battle up until “The End”, “To be Continued”, “Fin” or similar messaging is displayed.”
The guideline message above does not go into great detail about when the footage restrictions expire, but popular streamer Cohh Carnage claimed on Twitter that the rules are set to be indefinite, as per a conversation he had with a Square Enix representative.
Many people may not be surprised by the ban on Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin ending scenes, given Square Enix made a point of removing footage of Final Fantasy VII Remake’s ending sequences from YouTube months after the game was released to the public. It is, however, an unusually punitive penalty for video content creators, and one that makes no sense in the larger scheme of things; if potential fans want to avoid spoilers, they may just avoid watching such videos.
It’s unclear what consequences content creators would face if they choose to disregard Square Enix’s warnings.
The “Gameplay Video & Livestreaming Guidelines” don’t mention any specific penalties that Square Enix would impose, but it’s reasonable to presume that any publicly published material would be removed, and the malefactor would be denied early-copy access. It’s only a matter of time before someone ignores Square Enix’s threats, given the number of Final Fantasy fans streaming their Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin playthroughs.
