Final Fantasy 14 is being hammered by a DDoS attack

If you've been having trouble connecting to Final Fantasy 14 over the past several days, there is a reason. And that reason, according to Square Enix, is jerks on the internet. 

"We have confirmed that since Jun. 16th, we have been experiencing DDoS attacks from an anonymous third-party targeting the Final Fantasy 14 game servers on the NA data center," the company said in a "Network Technical Difficulties" notification. "Our technical staff is taking every possible measure to address this issue but the attack is still continuing to take place by changing their methods at every moment. We will continue to monitor and work on recovery from every possible angle." 

A DDoS attack is an attempt to "increase the server load to an extensive level by flooding the network of the targeted servers using a massive number of computers," Square Enix explained. The attack has put a "heavy load at an extensive level" on game servers and network equipment, which is resulting in difficulty connecting to the game as well as random disconnections. On the upside, there's apparently been no effort to actually hack it, "so character data and personal information registered to our customers' accounts are not in danger of being exposed." 

The timing of the attack likely isn't coincidental: The FFXIV: Stormblood expansion went live yesterday, and nothing says "We should screw this up for as many people as we possibly can" like fun new things to do in a videogame. We've got a hands-on preview of the Stormblood expansion that you can dive into here, and we'll have a full review for you in the coming week. 

 I've reached out to Square Enix for more information about the DDoS attack, and will update when I receive a reply.