Recently, the project team of miHoYo’s “Genshin Impact” announced that they have officially commenced a joint animation project with the renowned Japanese animation production company Ufotable (Dishonored Table). This marks the launch of an animated version of “Genshin Impact” as the game nears two years since its release. Ufotable has produced numerous acclaimed works such as “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.” The relevant official stated that the “Genshin Impact” animation project will maintain the game’s high-quality content as a consistent standard, and the team is diligently working on the production.
In the special episode of the game’s new version preview, “Genshin Impact” revealed the concept video for the animation project. The video has garnered over 4 million views on Bilibili. During a game music forum in December 2021, miHoYo’s music director Cai Jinhan mentioned, “miHoYo has never discussed its budget, as we always add more to it.” According to Sensor Tower’s latest report, “Genshin Impact” has generated over $3 billion in revenue from Google Play and App Store.
Can the income from “Genshin Impact” support the significant investment required for future animation production and release? Taking the successful “League of Legends: Arcane” as an example, Riot Games spent six years from the project’s inception in 2015 to its release in 2021, investing heavily in human resources, materials, and finances. In October 2021, Riot Games spent $14.1 million on advertising to promote the “Arcane” series. This figure does not include the production costs.
However, “Arcane” was a successful attempt for Riot Games. In its debut month, the series achieved the highest global ranking on Netflix, and it topped the global chart in 52 countries and regions for three consecutive weeks. The series garnered a rare 100% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. After airing in China, the animated content from “Arcane” frequently appeared on Weibo’s热搜榜 (Weibo’s Hot Search List), and many players praised it as the “peak of game-to-anime adaptations.” This also helped to introduce “League of Legends” to a broader audience.
Liao Xuhua believes that compared to action games, RPG games like “Genshin Impact” have a stronger narrative and a better foundation for developing IP content, offering more potential for adaptation. This time, “Genshin Impact” will not be produced by miHoYo itself but in collaboration with Ufotable. Liao Xuhua, speaking to Caixin Global, stated that miHoYo is a game company, and although there is some overlap between games and animation, they are fundamentally different production lines. Not only miHoYo, but most Chinese game companies also outsource their animation production to professional animation studios. He believes that miHoYo values Ufotable’s production capabilities.
Ufotable is a well-known company for producing high-quality anime. Its animated films, such as “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Infinity Train” in 2020, grossed over $500 million worldwide and topped the box office that year. Apart from “Demon Slayer,” Ufotable is also known for its works “Fate/Zero,” “Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works,” and “The Rose of Versailles: The X.”
“There’s no denying that the artwork is excellent when Ufotable gets involved,” a player commented under the Bilibili concept video.
Everything is geared towards the IP. “Genshin Impact” animation aims to enrich the IP’s depth and influence. As long as the IP continues to thrive, there are still many ways to generate revenue. Since its launch on September 28, 2020, “Genshin Impact” has already become one of the most successful mobile games in the history of doujinshi (二次元, literally “double-dimensional”), with significant IP influence. In China, “Genshin Impact” has over 6 million followers on Weibo and over 13 million on Bilibili. In the international market, the number of fans on YouTube has surpassed 5 million, with video views reaching up to