'Genshin Impact' Has Made Over $1 Billion In Six Months Since Launch

Genshin Impact is perhaps the most anime game we've ever seen. It's half Breath of the Wild, half Seven Deadly Sins in appearance, and yet somehow the gameplay is pleasantly compelling despite its infuriating wild loot box system. But also, the game's microtransactions are so wild that Genshin Impact has now made an incredible $1 billion in its six months since launching at the end of September 2020, according to Sensor Tower.

Now although that's really impressive for miHoYo, some people might not be so pleased to hear how much the developer has made from this single game given that Genshin Impact is a gacha title. That means that it takes inspiration from real gacha - toy vending machines - using mechanics that the Western world might be more used to calling loot boxes. It's a consistently controversial subject right now; but all of those in-game purchases are really paying off for Genshin and its makers.

If you haven't played Genshin, the basics are that a pair of siblings engage in an epic battle - one of which you decide to play, and the other falls prisoner to the villain of the situation. You then run across the world of Teyvat trying to save your sibling, and in the process helping random citizens with tasks, defeating grunts, completing raids, and collecting... things.

What do you collect? Well, a lot of stuff actually, like weapons, stat-building items, and perhaps most importantly, characters. Developer miHoYo has a current roster of 30 different characters you can play as, each with their own fighting styles, powers, and personalities. Some of them can be incredibly rare to find, and only obtainable in loot boxes.

miHoYo

And that same rarity goes for almost any important or game-changing item in Genshin. Trying to play the game without pumping tens, hundreds, or even thousands of pounds or dollars into the game is difficult. It's a time sink - and when you don't get the character you want in a loot box, it's tempting to buy more and more boxes until you get the anime boy or girl of your dreams.

So, you can absolutely see why the title has now reached the $1 billion mark. It's a sensation in the West, but the level of adoration for Genshin Impact and its characters is on another level in places like China, where a special KFC x Genshin Impact crossover just happened that saw the police called in because its popularity presented a danger to public safety.

Topics: News, Genshin Impact