Genshin Impact grosses over $100m, recouping development costs in just two weeks

In the two weeks following its launch, MiHoYo’s Genshin Impact has recouped its development costs, generating over $100m in revenue (via PC Gamer).

The free to play RPG has become a global success following its launch on September 28th 2020, with a huge fanbase in Japan, Korea, and China – with fans in the US and Europe too. In the first week of its release, the game reached the number two spot on iOS’ list of highest-grossing games – seeing 17 million downloads in its first four days, according to App Annie.

According to industry analyst Daniel Ahmad, the success makes Genshin Impact “without a doubt the most successful launch for an original IP from a Chinese dev.”

Genshin Impact has now grossed over $100m in less than two weeks.

China, Japan, Korea and the US are top markets for the F2P game.

Without a doubt the most successful launch for an original IP from a Chinese dev. https://t.co/WjOOpLa66V

— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) October 10, 2020

The game hasn’t been without its critics, however. Its”gacha-style” loot boxes have drawn the predictable criticism such monetisation models attract. In addition, the game has landed itself in some political trouble, with its list of banned words including “Taiwan” or “Hong Kong.”

As Ahmad points out, this is typical for Chinese games, which must comply with local regulations, which state that games cannot include “anything that threatens China’s national unity.”