Why Final Fantasy 14’s Duty Finder system won’t let you kick players

Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn's party search system, Duty Finder, doesn't include a kicking function in order to help better foster a sense of community, according to a recent interview with producer and director Naoki Yoshida translated by Siliconera.

Duty Finder enables players to pull together a party based on factors such as dungeons or trials they'd like to try. Speaking with Dengeki, Yoshida explained that players in the West are often puzzled by their inability to boot players from a group. However, Yoshida worries that if the team adds the feature, it could "lose its original purpose."

"It was quite normal for those who've played World of Warcraft to have the option to kick people who are harassing or simply just not geared well enough," Yoshida said. "On the other hand, had we implemented from the start, I believe we'd also hear people say, ‘Why do we need a kicking function? Wouldn't it only be abused?'

"Those who are new to the Duty Finder system most likely find it more convenient than anything and probably wouldn't expect harassment from other players. So if we were to add a kicking function, there's a chance they would see it as something like, ‘So we're allowed to keep kicking whoever we don't like, right?'"

Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn relaunched in August; the game is slated for a PlayStation 4 release next year. For more on the game, read our review.