FFXIV’s Yoshida P/D bakes “coffee cookies” and trends on Twitter

Publication date of the original Japanese article: 2021-04-07 20:14 (JST)
Translated by. Sachi Salehi

These days it’s not unusual for game developers to appear in livestreams, not only talking about their games but also participating in more involved segments. However, on April 5 the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, developed and run by Square Enix, found itself trending on Twitter simply because the director baked some cookies during an official livestream, which gathered a bizarre level of enthusiasm.

The culinary endeavor to bake these cookies took place during the FFXIV seventh anniversary livestream hosted by Studio NGC. The producer and director of FFXIV, Naoki Yoshida (hereafter Yoshida-P) made a guest appearance and made the coffee cookies as part of a segment during the livestream.

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Though the choice of coffee cookies may seem questionable, they are actually an item familiar to FFXIV players for various reasons. Coffee cookies (known in-game as coffee biscuits) are a recipe implemented from Shadowbringers onwards and can be easily prepared by any player who has reached the required Culinarian level.

These cookies are used in levequests where players can give them to NPCs in exchange for experience points. It is basically used as an item to level up the Culinarian class. However, the true value of these coffee cookies lies in the byproduct of Gil, the in-game currency, received from NPCs.

For players, earning money is an incredibly significant aspect of online games. When playing an MMORPG, it’s difficult to get enough money just from defeating the enemies wandering around the map. Aside from quest and dungeon rewards, selling items by collecting materials and creating them through Gathering and Crafting classes has become the norm. And in FFXIV, coffee cookies have entered the spotlight as an item that anyone can use to easily get money from NPCs.

Of course, it’s not an unlimited source of income. There is a limit to how many cookies can be exchanged in one day, not to mention there are other methods to raise money that are more efficient. Above all, the amount of money that can be earned in a month is not much at all. However, this was a valuable source of income for new players to the environment of FFXIV, in which the current meta is to gather materials and create items through Gathering and Crafting classes, or doing the activity known as Treasure Hunt.

This convenience was also a source of concern for players, many worried that the mechanic may be removed from the game. Fortunately, it has yet to be removed and has even gained enough of a presence to be known as the “Coffee Biscuit Gil Method”.

These cookies aren’t popular just because they have long been lining the pockets of players. Within the story of Shadowbringers, certain characters of importance are quite fond of the coffee cookie. This bit of flavor text became more than just that, eventually appearing in and playing a vital role in Eden’s Promise, one of the main stories within Shadowbringers. Leaving out the details to avoid any spoilers, players must have been glad to have exchanged as many cookies as they did.

The coffee cookies dear to players through both gameplay and story, it’s no wonder that Yoshida-P making them on a livestream would immediately become a big deal among players.

現場の某Mちゃんより、夜風に当たりながらコーヒークッキーの焼き上がりを待つ某Pの激写が送られてきた。 #NGC pic.twitter.com/KhFDeCi8aL
— Toshio Murouchi (インドア) (@BuccoRoth) April 5, 2021

Tweet Translation:
“An image of a certain P getting some air while waiting for coffee cookies to finish baking has been sent in by a certain M at the scene”

Over 15,000 viewers watched over Yoshida-P as he fought an uphill battle during this livestream, and the cookies were successfully completed. Though they were poked fun at for their size, the cookies were described as surprisingly delicious by the tasters and were well received. It caused quite a commotion, becoming the eighth most trending topic on Twitter.

With patch 5.5 coming soon, updates to remove the “Coffee Cookie Gil Method” may be close as well. However, players continue to make massive quantities of cookies. There is no question that these cookies are full of precious memories.