Despite the negative connotations surrounding mobile and free-to-play games, Genshin Impact has established itself as one of the premiere titles in the RPG genre. With its anime-esque art style, open-world gameplay, and a heavy emphasis on its unique party-based combat, Genshin Impact has a lot to offer for RPG gamers, anime fans, and many fan bases in between.
However, though Genshin Impact has garnered over $3 billion in sales since its launch, HoYoverse is already setting its sights on the future, very recently announcing a new game in thew works. Dubbed Zenless Zone Zero, the title will be another action RPG game that takes place in a new world ravaged by natural disasters known as "hollows." Like Genshin Impact, it looks as though the game will feature a diverse roster of characters that engage in party-based combat.
Shortly after the reveal of Zenless Zone Zero, HoYoverse announced that signups for the game's closed beta would be opened as well, directing fans to the game's official website should they decide to sign up. While there has been no confirmed release date for the closed beta, it is safe to assume that there will be an announcement within a short time letting fans know when they can expect the beta to begin as well as notifying those who signed up about whether they will be allowed into it.
The reveal of the game also came with a trailer that revealed a ton of information about the game's characters and enemies. For example, Unagi, Billy, Anbi, and NosTradamus, who are confirmed to be main characters in the game's story, were not only revealed but also showcased through combat. For example, Billy looks to be a flashy gunslinger, wielding two pistols that they use to blast apart multiple enemies at once. In contrast, Anbi wields a large sword that, while not as imposing as Genshin Impact's devastating claymores, managed to cleave through multiple enemies throughout the trailer.
Fans took to Twitter to talk about the closed beta announcement, and while some comments had mixed feelings about HoYoverse taking on another project, many others were excited by the news. Many users commented underneath the official Zenless Zone Zero Twitter post about the beta announcing they had already signed up and were very excited about the new game. Conversely, other players feared that a new project would either overshadow or be overshadowed by Genshin Impact.
It is much too early to be making predictions on the game's success or downfall, but it will certainly be interesting to see if HoYoverse can juggle projects like Zenless Zone Zero while continuing to work toward a Nintendo Switch port for Genshin Impact. Multitasking can be a challenge for any developer, but given their success with Genshin Impact, it may be safe to bet on Zenless Zone Zero's success.
Zenless Zone Zero is currently in development.