C&D: Director's Response

[IAmSerge]

Anyone can make a TL;DR version of what happened in those kajillion of pages?

buncha rumors, people dont really know whats going on, people in discussion with SE aren't at liberty to say, now we just give up talking and wait.

[Xshu]

Ah, the waiting game sucks. Let's play Hungry Hungry Hippos!

...What?

[Seph]

I don't know if this was posted on this site but on Arc Forums this suspicious person posted this email


http://kagerostudios.b1.jcink.com/index.php?showtopic=330&st=120&#entry15931

is the topic

Alienat0r is the poster, the Email is under the spoiler tags.

hump that's a disturbing e-mail, but there's no E-Mail address for square in it....

[kattrali]

http://kagerostudios.b1.jcink.com/index.php?showtopic=330&st=120&#entry15931

hump that's a disturbing e-mail, but there's no E-Mail address for square in it....

The post and email timestamps match though. 
Though it appears that the email wasn't sent from that email address, else the quoted email text would be colored, usually a deep purple...

edit: boo, and "Neil" is misspelled as "Neill". Every letter I've ever seen from SE customer support is signed:
"Neil- SQUARE ENIX Customer Support
www.square-enix.com"

Some examples:
http://www.neocrisis.com/content/view/3734/39/
http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=72592
http://news.filefront.com/petition-to-remake-final-fantasy-vii-sent-to-square-enix/
http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=77990&st=540
http://www.finalfantasykingdom.net/beforecrisis.php
etc: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1C1CHMB_enUS291US308&ei=IgUSSsmhA4Sa9QSm9LmhBg&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=neill+square+enix+customer+support&spell=1

[FaustWolf]

Nice observation skillz, kattrali. I think we're 98% sure that email was some kind of attention-grabbing hoax, but that's the first bit of real (if slightly circumstantial) evidence I've seen either way.

[Enigma Outlaw]

While I agree that the e-mail is both disturbing yet at the same time a possible hoax do bear one thing in mind. It would be one thing if the name was misspelled as something such as Neal. However adding a second "l" really isn't that much of a typo. I think we've all typed a letter one too many times at least once in our lives and didn't catch it until after the fact. However considering the timing of everything I'm going to lean towards that being a real e-mail for the very fact that I'd imagine it would take Square Enix a few weeks to investigate. Besides didn't Zeality say he was getting internet stalked about a week before the C&D came out?

One thing I am sure about is this. No matter which way that letter falls that person is an ass. If it's fake then he's an ass for making light of what I feel has been a stressful situation for both the CE team and the fans on the Compendium. If it's real then he's an ass for starting this in the first place and dragging your good names through the mud.

In short he's just an asshole

[Dark Serge]

In my opinion the timing is too perfect. He probably just created those IGN and GameSpot threads so he could link something back to Square Enix, because they were apparently created right before he sent the email. Why go through all the trouble of matching up dates if it's a fake e-mail? And from the looks of it, that e-mail was sent from a GMail address. I know because I use it myself, and it never shows the e-mail address of the sender if you just open it, unless you click a button to show the details of the sender. For whatever reason he apparently edited the button out, as it should be right next to the green "Square Enix Customer Support". Also, neither the text of the sender nor the receiver is ever in purple in GMail, at least as far as I know.

As for the misspelling, it can happen to Square Enix too. But putting that e-mail side to side with one of my own GMail mails, everything is perfect. The outlining, the lettertype, everything matches. Unless he spent a night making this I don't see how it's fake.

Also, as this e-mail has been sent somewhere in april, I think it's safe to say that whoever this guy is has been after CE and maybe other project for a month. The time gap of one month could be explained by Square Enix investigating the matter.

[kattrali]

Also, neither the text of the sender nor the receiver is ever in purple in GMail, at least as far as I know.

Whenever there's quoted text in an email, I've only ever seen it as purple, unless the content is significantly changed, and then only the signed name is grey (which it also isn't in this case, from the shoddy blotting out, its kinda easy to pick out the color and some of the letters in the name and the address. It looks like gibberish though.)
There's also two artifacts in the upper right rounded corner indicating he probably rotated the star corner, copied it, and erased the star...for reasons unknown to me.

As for the misspelling, it can happen to Square Enix too. But putting that e-mail side to side with one of my own GMail mails, everything is perfect. The outlining, the lettertype, everything matches. Unless he spent a night making this I don't see how it's fake.

Also, as this e-mail has been sent somewhere in april, I think it's safe to say that whoever this guy is has been after CE and maybe other project for a month. The time gap of one month could be explained by Square Enix investigating the matter.

Oh, I'd always figured that Neil isn't a real person...just the customer service pseudonym address or something, so no one would ever be retyping that stuff.

Anyway, there's another possibility, which I'd feel better about. Maybe this person did all this work and it actually isn't the reason for the C&D? Now that would be funny. Mostly because it makes him a loser who thinks he's awesome.

Now I think I'll be quiet since I think I've given away 1. how nerdy I am and 2. what I do when not trolling forums. 

[Dark Serge]

The purple text is only there for me when I open an email that I've sent, and not an email I've received. And how would Neil not be real person. Why write that name if it's not a real person.

[kattrali]

The purple text is only there for me when I open an email that I've sent, and not an email I've received.

Exactly. The second half of the email (the quoted text of the email he supposedly originally sent) should be purple.

And how would Neil not be real person. Why write that name if it's not a real person.

No idea...I just didn't think there was a real person named "Neil" who answers every query gamers have made to customer support over the last few years.  Besides that would probably be a terrible job. Every day you'd write a dozen emails to the effect of, "No, SE is not developing FFVII for the PS3." or "No, FF13 is not coming to North America this year."

[Dapifer]

From what I read in that topic at Studio Kagero, it seems this person was trying to bring down their fan projects, and because what happened with the C&D and Crimson Echoes and everything, the team at SK has decided to put a stop to all their work with their fan game.

This person seemed to be happy about that, even expresed his satisfaction to see that both CE and the game at Studio Kagero was going to a halt, but for what I can gather, it seems this person was really going after them, the people at Studio Kagero and Chrono Crisis, for whatever reasons s/he had...

Now, how valid this e-mail is, that's another question, and I am affraid I don't know the answer, it could be a fake, but the intentions of this person where clearly bad regarding the fan games, and s/he even expresed his/her ill will towards the modding community and how glad it was that SE took action against it.

In any event, I agree 100% with Enigma, this person is a complete asshole...

I am sad to see this kind of behavior, but I am keeping my hopes up for CE, for all the dreamers, our planet's dream is has not yet ended!

[Dark Serge]

The purple text is only there for me when I open an email that I've sent, and not an email I've received.

Exactly. The second half of the email (the quoted text of the email he supposedly originally sent) should be purple.

And how would Neil not be real person. Why write that name if it's not a real person.

No idea...I just didn't think there was a real person named "Neil" who answers every query gamers have made to customer support over the last few years.  Besides that would probably be a terrible job. Every day you'd write a dozen emails to the effect of, "No, SE is not developing FFVII for the PS3." or "No, FF13 is not coming to North America this year."

You're totally right, and you just answered our questions as well. According to my experience with GMail, Square Enix didn't "reply" to the e-mail, they created a whole new e-mail and pasted the e-mail this alien guy sent in it. That explains it really. It's probably their regular way of replying to people.

They don't answer 3/4 of the e-mails they send. I know because I've sent them an email once in a while as well. Also who says Neil is the only person answering the e-mails.

[Shee]

This is really turned into some detective shit.  All sorts of theories around.  Not to mention the whole "For THose Depressed" thread Zeality wrote, then the C n D, then he dips to Europe.

NOT SAYING IT'S RELATED, but it makes for a damn good story!  All will be cleared when we hear from SE again, assuming that happens.

[Seph]

From what I read in that topic at Studio Kagero, it seems this person was trying to bring down their fan projects, and because what happened with the C&D and Crimson Echoes and everything, the team at SK has decided to put a stop to all their work with their fan game.

This person seemed to be happy about that, even expresed his satisfaction to see that both CE and the game at Studio Kagero was going to a halt, but for what I can gather, it seems this person was really going after them, the people at Studio Kagero and Chrono Crisis, for whatever reasons s/he had...

Now, how valid this e-mail is, that's another question, and I am affraid I don't know the answer, it could be a fake, but the intentions of this person where clearly bad regarding the fan games, and s/he even expresed his/her ill will towards the modding community and how glad it was that SE took action against it.

In any event, I agree 100% with Enigma, this person is a complete asshole...

I am sad to see this kind of behavior, but I am keeping my hopes up for CE, for all the dreamers, our planet's dream is has not yet ended!

If what you say is true then the E-mail is most likely real as well, it's starting to sound like someone was out to get the CE team and shut them down from the beginning, but this is only a speculation so don't go quoting me.

[KebreI]

This is really turned into some detective shit.  All sorts of theories around.  Not to mention the whole "For THose Depressed" thread Zeality wrote, then the C n D, then he dips to Europe.

NOT SAYING IT'S RELATED, but it makes for a damn good story!  All will be cleared when we hear from SE again, assuming that happens.

Z has been talking about that trip for a long time, "For Those Depressed" thread was in response to the C&D. All makes since to me.