Developer MiHoYo has no plans to bring Genshin Impact to Xbox platforms, but new characters, locations, and ideas for next-generation consoles are on the way.
Genshin Impact is the newest free-to-play open-world RPG from the Shanghai-based MiHoYo, and it has fans drawing major comparisons to Breath of the Wild. Much of the game looks to be inspired by Breath of the Wild's success, but Genshin Impact has proven to have its own unique charms and mechanics. Players can take a look for themselves by downloading the game for free on PC, PS4, and mobile devices with a Switch version on the way sometime in the future, but unfortunately for Microsoft fans, MiHoYo has no plans to bring the game to Xbox consoles.
MiHoYo tells IGN Japan that though it doesn't plan on bringing Genshin Impact to Xbox users, it already has versions for next-gen consoles in the works. A spokesperson clarified that this doesn't mean a simple straight port to the newer generation, but rather making visual improvements to meet the demands of future technology. With Genshin Impact being an Eastern-developed game, some speculate that it's not being ported to Xbox simply due to the lower user rate in Asia.
Moving forward, however, MiHoYo does have plans to make many enhancements to the game. The developer considers the current version not final, but rather the "first step" in any future version of Genshin Impact. While the game released with twenty characters and only two major city locations, there's approximately 20 to 25 hours of free gameplay before the player would hit a "paywall," which is really just the gacha mechanic to win higher-ranking characters and weapons to get through more difficult areas.
MiHoYo's goal is to build Genshin Impact out from its current state, which means more characters, cities, and quests. It's already been confirmed that a third major city alongside Mondstadt and Liyue is on its way. It's unclear if MiHoYo plans to add more microtransactions in the future, but it has plenty of new content in the mix. There's already a rumor that a 1.1 update is coming soon to Genshin Impact, featuring new regions, characters, and more free content.
And, despite being a free-to-play game, Genshin has already made approximately $50 million and has seen more than 17 million downloads on just mobile devices alone. This is the biggest global launch of any Chinese game as well as the most-viewed game on Twitch the day it launched at 110,000 concurrent viewers.
Genshin Impact is out now for mobile devices, PC, and PS4, with Switch and PS5 versions coming at an undetermined date.
Source: IGN