Square Enix bans FFXI gil-sellers
700 chucked after market spikes.
Square Enix has terminated more than 700 accounts of Final Fantasy XI players involved in "real money trading" by producing large amounts of gil (in-game currency) which was then sold on for proper wonga.
The terminations mark the conclusion of a lengthy investigation. "Thanks to these measures, more than 300 billion gil has been removed from circulation, and the overly inflated prices of items have begun to fall to more realistic levels," said the developer in a statement.
"Furthermore, emergency maintenance has already been performed on all worlds for the purpose of implementing RMT countermeasures. This maintenance took place over two stages, starting on January 17th."
"As has been previously stated, acts of RMT will not be tolerated in FINAL FANTASY XI, and any violations of the user agreement will be dealt with severely," the statement ends.
They've got their work cut out for them, by the looks of it - a quick Google reveals plenty of places to buy FFXI gil. One site offers gil in amounts between 1,000 and 10,000 - the top tier asking for $175 - and promises in-game delivery within 24 hours.
Final Fantasy XI is available on PC and PS2, with an Xbox 360 version due out in April.