What happens to Square Enix account when the owner dies

It is effectively forfeited. The account, characters, purchased game licenses, and any Crysta balance cannot be transferred to family or the estate. The practical action after a death is to cancel any recurring FINAL FANTASY XIV or FINAL FANTASY XI subscription so it stops billing, and optionally to cancel the account itself. Square Enix warns that a cancelled account, and all content and services associated with it, cannot be recovered.

Log into the Mog Station with the Square Enix Account, select "Service Account Status," and choose "Cancel Subscription." Square Enix warns to click "Cancel Subscription" rather than "Cancel Service Account," because the latter deletes the entire service account and its characters. Square Enix does not provide refunds on subscriptions, so cancel before the next recurring billing date; any time already paid for runs to the end of the current cycle.

Square Enix does not publish a dedicated deceased-account or estate-claims process and does not list documents (such as a death certificate or letters of administration) for one. Because nothing on the account can be transferred, the handling is the same self-service cancellation any account holder uses: cancel the subscription through the Mog Station and, if desired, cancel the account through the Square Enix Account Management System. Account-specific questions go through the support form at support.na.square-enix.com.

No. Crysta and other virtual credits "are not currency or property and have no monetary value" under Square Enix's terms, and purchased licenses are tied to the account under a non-transferable license. None of it can be refunded or moved to another person's account. Any remaining balance and purchased content are lost when the account is closed.