What are the things we can learn from Genshin Impact

Mihoyo’s Guangqi Park, located on Cangwu Road, has long queues at the door every weekend. The “birthplace” of popular games such as “Genshin Impact” and “Honkai Impact: Star Dome Railroad” has become the dream place of many players.
According to data from market research firm Sensor Tower, Mihoyo’s “Genshin Impact” won the annual revenue champion of overseas mobile games in 2022. In May of this year, Mihoyo’s new work “Honkai Impact: Star Dome Railroad” surpassed “Genshin Impact” to top the overseas revenue list. In June of this year, half of the top 10 global popular mobile game revenues were Chinese games. Domestic game masterpieces with traditional Chinese cultural elements have entered the mainstream overseas population through localization and regionalization strategies, conveying China’s unique cultural charm and values ??to the world and enhancing the international influence of Chinese culture.
As one of the components of the upcoming ChinaJoy, the 2023 Game Business Conference has set up a special “Game Industry Overseas Development Forum”, inviting many industry insiders to share what Chinese boutique games that have successfully gone overseas and braved the wind and waves have done?
“Genshin Impact” is undoubtedly a benchmark. “The multicultural creation method of “Genshin Impact” has successfully opened up the global market.” Ling Yu, senior director of global business development of Shanghai Mihoyo Network Technology Co., Ltd. said.
The story background of the open-world adventure game “Genshin Impact” is based on the setting of seven “countries”. The design of each “country” incorporates cultural elements and civilization symbols from different regions of the world. For example, Mondstadt is based on medieval Europe and integrates the natural scenery and cultural characteristics of the Netherlands, Germany, and the United Kingdom; Liyue’s art style, plot, and culture are full of Chinese cultural characteristics; the early trailer released by Fontaine, the fifth country to be launched, has aroused more resonance among the player groups in France and Western Europe. “Diverse content allows “Genshin Impact” to successfully attract players from different cultural backgrounds around the world at the beginning of its launch. Each has its own beauty, and beauty is shared. The outstanding achievements of “Genshin Impact” in the global market are a good proof of this.”
In the process of internationalization, challenges are inevitable. For example, how to convey the same context and information through different language texts, how to adapt the game content to the needs of different players, and how to understand and comply with laws and regulations in different regions. Among them, it is of utmost importance to let players of different language systems “understand” the diverse culture presented in “Genshin Impact”. Ling Yu revealed that miHoYo has built a team of language experts composed of multiple native speakers. They will not only use the native languages ??of R&D and copywriters to communicate and understand, but also find appropriate expressions in the target language and culture to accurately convey information and the context behind it.
“Genshin Impact” is the game with the richest localized content of miHoYo at present. It supports 15 different languages ??and has been popular for nearly 3 years since its launch. The long life cycle is the unchanging product feature of miHoYo from “waist” to “head”.
“If ‘localization’ is done well, the player interaction will be more enthusiastic. They will think that this game is ‘our game’. If the operator can constantly adjust according to community feedback, the product will be more playable.” said Wang Si’en, founder and CEO of Shanghai Lezuan Technology Co., Ltd.
miHoYo’s experience is “to show the charm of the IP itself and to meet the preferences of local players.” For example, the offline art exhibition of Genshin Impact held in Paris, France in January this year attracted tens of thousands of players to visit, and the queue even crossed three blocks. “In Paris, visiting exhibitions is a daily form of entertainment. We discussed with the R&D team and selected a batch of game original paintings, design drafts, notes, etc., and displayed them together with the works of outstanding local French players. Among them is the very popular character “Xiao” in the game. Through the exhibition, we can see how “Xiao” got inspiration from traditional Chinese folk customs and folk legends such as Nuo Opera Nuo Mask and Golden Winged Peng Bird to become a game character. European players not only understand the Chinese cultural connotation behind the Genshin Impact IP, but also produce a wealth of secondary creations.” “Self-developed games should give play to the strong inclusiveness of Chinese culture and the natural landing attributes and advantages of online games, seek in-depth integration with Chinese culture in subject matter, plot, art, and music, and also pay attention to the localized expression of works, and strive to form sustainable operations in overseas markets.” Ao Ran, executive vice president and secretary general of the China Audio-visual and Digital Publishing Association, observed. “Games have transformed from isolated entertainment products into a ‘toolbox’ that can provide support for multiple social fields.” Deng Shuhui, vice president of Shanghai Yishijie Information Technology Group Co., Ltd., believes that the social value of games should be recognized at present.