“Thank you for the outstanding team at miHoYo, who have showcased how you create immersive fantasy worlds for everyone on the App Store!” Apple CEO Tim Cook recently took the time during a busy schedule in Shanghai to visit a young company, miHoYo, and posted a tweet after his visit.
In its wildly popular game, “Genshin Impact,” miHoYo uses digital technology to create a world filled with Eastern charm, “Li Yue.” Traditional Chinese attire, the lingering melodies of Chinese opera, and misty green landscapes all captivate global players.
The latest “Digital China Construction Overall Layout Plan” emphasizes building a confident and prosperous digital culture. Led by miHoYo and other Chinese IP enterprises, through games as a medium, a virtual universe brimming with Eastern and traditional aesthetics has been created, with innovative digital technology driving the spread of Chinese excellent traditional culture to the world.
Screenshot of miHoYo’s traditional Chinese opera style vocal segment for the new character “Yun Jin” in “Genshin Impact.”
Digital technology takes “national style” global
Upon entering miHoYo Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., a young face looks at the virtual characters on the computer screen, focusing on using professional tools to optimize expressions, attire, and other details.
Youth and vitality are one of miHoYo’s most distinctive features. In December 2011, three graduate students from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Cai Haoyu, Liu Wei, and Luo Yu Hao, developed miHoYo’s first game, “Fly Me to the Moon,” marking the start of their entrepreneurial journey. After a period of preparation, “Genshin Impact” was launched in late September 2020 and quickly became a global hit, earning $245 million in its first month, making it the highest-grossing mobile game for that month, and maintaining the top spot in China’s mobile game income for several consecutive months. Currently, “Genshin Impact” has been translated into over 10 languages, and has gained popularity in more than 200 countries and regions, earning the Apple “Best iPhone Game of the Year” award in 2020.
Third-party monitoring data estimates that miHoYo’s global revenue in 2022 is approximately 10 billion RMB, with a ranking of third globally on the iOS platform. The revenue from “Genshin Impact” accounts for about 90% of the company’s total income.
“Currently, overseas market revenue has already accounted for 50% of our total revenue,” said miHoYo founder Liu Wei. “Over the past decade, the company has grown rapidly, with much of its vitality stemming from the deep exploration of product cultural attributes. By building aȫ��ҵ�� of anime, games, music, and other products around the core IP, we have created an immersive fantasy world for global players.”
The story setting of “Genshin Impact” takes place on the fantastical world of “Teyvat,” where seven countries each have their unique charm. Among them, the “Li Yue” world, inspired by China, is the most evocative of Eastern spirituality and has garnered the most global fan interest. The development team has carefully integrated rich cultural details into the game, telling the “origin story” in a traditional storytelling manner, with the total views of a promotional video exceeding 20 million overseas.
On the other hand, innovation in science and technology is also an essential part of cultural creation. “We use high-tech methods to develop games, with all details striving for the highest quality through maximum investment,” Liu Wei said.
Data can also reflect miHoYo’s heavy investment in “hard technology.” Currently, the company’s research and development staff account for over 70% of its workforce, and the percentage of self-developed patents in cloud gaming-related technologies exceeds 99%. miHoYo has established multiple computing centers across the country, and holds hundreds of patents in areas such as cartoon rendering and digital motion capture technologies.
Hard technology brings about hard power. Apple has listed “Genshin Impact” as one of the standards for testing the quality of its hardware. Previously, to showcase the powerful performance of its new iPad Air’s M1 chip, Apple displayed the exquisite and smooth game scenes in “Genshin Impact.”
Behind every captivating scene in “Genshin Impact” and every emotionally