(Service request)Making stale character names available for use

[Someusername]

Hello,
I never really gave this much thought to have as a request, but after a recent experience, I am a little more keen on doing so.

Can we have a service were we can request names being horded by players be made available for use?

There is an endless number of characters you can go through on the Lodestone, that are level 1-5, who either started the game, and never came back...or created the character to hold the name so others couldn't take it.
Other games have offered this service, and they simply tell the player who is holding the name, to use the character, or lose the name.

There are many ways to do this, but at least something to allow names to be used by active players.

[Non-PlayerCharacter]

tl;dr - just make a character with that name on another server.
I'm going to give the quickest and easiest argument against this: Maidy Maidy@Gungnir . Simply put, Maidy is unfortunately no longer with us. This news was conveyed to us from a blog post by Yoshi-P himself. Maidy, as you may know, was famous for a blog detailing their experience with introducing their father to FFXIV. This blog series ended up turning into a TV Drama and a Netflix Movie adaptation. With a feature similar to what you have proposed, some malicious actor is guaranteed to take Maidy's name and start effectively impersonating them. Probably within minutes of the feature going live due to how well known Maidy is. And there are other high profile users who have passed away. I have friends who have unique, valuable names that are similarly no longer with us. They cannot suddenly become active. And I do not wish to see somebody walking around with their name, let alone opening the floodgates of harassment from those names from really malicious users. Or fraud (which would definitely become a significant problem as well).
The actual specifications here (level 1-5, inactive, etc.) aren't enough here. How do you really define inactive? Many of those alts could be roleplaying alts that don't NEED to be level 100. Maybe they're alts to send out FC submarines. If a user passes away, how can a loved one request that their name and account be frozen? How do you prevent people from abusing the account freeze when they want to take a significant break from the game? Would it be fair to only limit username-freezing to "famous" users rather than friends? There are way more things to think through with this, and I don't think it's worth the effort. Square won't get any additional users with a feature like this when you can typically just make a character with the same name on a different server.

[Someusername]

tl;dr - just make a character with that name on another server.

So, there are so many easy ways to deal with what you said.

"Square won't get any additional users with a feature like this when you can typically just make a character with the same name on a different server. "
Just because it doesnt gain users, doesnt mean they wont add something, as there have been soooooo many things that doesnt,in itself, "add users".
"Maidy Maidy@Gungnir"
It not hard to add exemptions to the rule.
"And I do not wish to see somebody walking around with their name, let alone opening the floodgates of harassment from those names from really malicious users."
While I understand this, there a alot of ways people harass on this game that doesnt involve this method that exist without being moderated. That, though, is a moderation issue not one that native to this idea.
"Many of those alts could be roleplaying alts that don't NEED to be level 100. Maybe they're alts to send out FC submarines."
its really not hard to have activity in the game.
While its not implemented in this game(obviously), its is implemented elsewhere, I dont see anyone in uproar over their implementation. Even social media accounts have also had this, and they have rules in place that are very easy to navigate that make it fair for people who want a name or handle...or are on the other side.

Finally, people shouldnt have to make a character on another server away from their friends just to avoid a level 1 character that cant even leave their starting city. Yeah sure there can obviously be more specification around what is considered an "active" character, this isn't meant to be a technical write up on what is and isn't allowed. its asking for something to curb characters that are for example level 1 Rin Tohaskas chilling on ever server, but hasnt been touched since 2020. Not the RPer who logins in here and there goes to a venue and does whatever.